Archive for month: August, 2022

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Brianna’s Spin at Watkins Glen

This was my second time driving at Watkins Glen, and I am in the yellow run group. My Dad and I were at the same event last year, however, this year however we were driving a 996 dedicated track car. Last year, we were driving a stock 991 with all the nannies, and I had significantly more seat time and confidence in the 991. This event at Watkins Glen was my second time driving the 996, so I was still getting used to the car setup, the shifting without rev matching and the six-point harness and Hans device, etc. – I was still building my confidence in the car. This was my goal for the weekend, build confidence in the new track car, and it took the entire weekend for this to happen. 

Friday’s sessions went well. I spent most of the time relearning the track and understanding where I can make improvements to gain more speed. It wasn’t until after lunch on the second day where I started to get confident, and maybe a little complacent in the car. One of the things my instructor and I we were working towards was carrying more speed through the turns. I knew that this was possible to do in the 996, but making it happen is a whole other thing. I was on my 5th lap after lunch on the second day and was getting really excited about my progress so far – this is where it all started to go wrong. 

As I approached turn one, I was carrying more speed into the turn than I had been on previous laps. I could feel my back end slipping and this sent a rush of fear through my body. Typically, in the past I have been able to wait out that slipping feeling. But this time, my mind and entire body froze, and I couldn’t make any adjustments to ty and correct the oversteer. I was trying to “will” the car back on track so I wouldn’t spin out. I learned the hard way that this is not how driving works, as I am not a Jedi. The car completed the spin and I ended up sliding sideways through turn one and the car came to a stop facing the oncoming traffic. I also stalled it as I completed my first 180 spin on a track. 

The spin itself was not where the anxiety crept in. I grew up driving various machines (snowmobiles and side-by-sides), so I am used to losing some control and going offline. The part that made me freak out was sitting in the stalled car and watching all the cars come through turn one. Luckily, I was stopped on a part of the track that was not online, so I didn’t have to worry too much about being hit by any of these oncoming cars. However, the feeling of sitting on a fast corner and not getting the car started while facing oncoming traffic was incredibly terrifying. 

After about a minute, with some positive reinforcement from my very calm instructor (Steve Sisler), I was able to get the car running again. I did a U-turn on the track and completed the lap at a slow pace before pitting in. I stayed in the hot pits for a few minutes. This is where my instructor and I talked through what happened and what I should have done. I needed to do one of two things, and I did neither. I should have added more throttle to create more grip in the rear, and I could have counter-steered and gone off track and utilized the space that was available to me. 

In the end, there was no damage done to any persons or the car. I was anxious for the rest of the day and into the next morning. Thankfully I was able to push though and slowly gain my confidence back. In the last session of the weekend, I drove my fastest lap of the event, ending the weekend on a very good note. I feel like spinning on the track was something that I needed to experience. I am now more aware of what the limit in the car feels like, and I am more aware of what I can do to better control the car as I drive near the limit. I will never forget the experience and I can use this to my advantage in upcoming events.

           

-Brianna Croteau

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South of Boston (SoBo) Porsches and Coffee ​21 August 2022

photo: Larry Levin

Sunday morning was busy, preparing for the Porsches and Coffee and saying goodbye to our two sons and their families.  Along with beach time, going out to dinners and lunches, attending polo matches and visiting Newport’s attractions such as the aquarium, tea at Marble House, and then “the shopping”, my 4 year old grandson and our 13 year old granddaughter were thoroughly engaged throughout their stay with us.

Also, these past couple of weeks, working from a bicycle map provided by Paul Soares, Rosemary and I have spent numerous hours in the car verifying  the route for the Bob Dow memorial run in October.  Little Compton was the most challenging because of the lack of posted street signs. In Portsmouth a street became a rutted path that was posted “Not a Thruway”.

photo: Larry Levin

We had a great turnout, about 60 Porsches, along with many new faces and interesting cars and stories.

The first owner I interviewed was Denise Marcello, along with her husband Michael.  Most enthusiastic, this was her first Porsche; previously she wheeled Audie’s and Hummers.  Asked why a Porsche, she relied “because I love them”.  On her first drive she said  “It’s mine!”  She has safely driven 120 MPH and loves the sound, especially when in sport mode. I encouraged her to join the PCA to gain more of the Porsche experience.  I discussed the orientation of the Porsche logo, pointing to the valve stem, saying that I use a snap ring removal tool (the two pins at around 90 degrees, which fit into the two holes in the cap for easy rotation.

Denise and Michael Marcello

Jarett Hurteau really got my attention when he arrived in a Leaf Green 1983 911, outfitted with “mudder” tires. With the exception of the very fine paint work, Jarrett has prepared this car for off the road racing.  Working under the banner of Revenant Motorsports, he began in 2019 and just completed all the work for a customer.  The engine is a two plug, short stroke 3.2, along with all elephant suspension components. Located in North Kingstown, this seems to be a guy for you to complete your Porsche wish list.

Jarett Hurteau

Elizabeth Henderson seemed excited to show her Dad’s 1992 964 Red Targa Carrera 2, which he bought new.  With just 44 k miles it sat in a barn in Ontario for seven years until she recently retrieved it.  Since she had it refreshed she has logged about 300 miles.  She said that when she drove it for the first time she felt like a teenager.  She has become a Porsche enthusiast, joining the PCA in March.

Elizabeth Henderson

Troy Demelo parked his recently completed two-year restoration of his Tangerine 1973 911T. With the exception of the extraordinary paint work, all new rubber seals properly installed, refurbished window frames,, and interior, this old timer is a show winner.  About 10 years ago Troy purchased his first Porsche, a 944.  He may have said that he also currently owns a 991 and a 997. I overheard  him discussing the restoration when he tore down the seats to the springs when he refurbished the interior.  Unless I can get another opportunity to compare Jarett and Troy’s work; it is my opinion that they are tied for quality work.  Asked why Porsches, Troy replied “I like the people”.  From our discussion about the restoration, he said that he will ask the painter if the bottom corner window drains were cleaned out.

Troy Demelo

Saving the fastest for last is John Buckley’s metallic silver 2019 GT3 RS.  Heavily optioned this GT3 has carbon fiber brakes, sport bucket seats and front lift.  This is his fourth 911. His first Porsche was a new 1987 911.  John likes Porsches because of the fun factor.  So far the fastest he has gone in a Porsche was about 150 MPH in a 91 Carrera 4.  When I approach that speed in my 996 the nose gets light.

John Buckley

Just a reminder:  Due to a conflict with Sweet Berry in September due to their very busy apple picking month, our September SoBo will take place on September 11, off of route 24 at the LongPlex Family & Sports Center, 300 Industrial Way, Tiverton, RI 02878.  Our designated parking lot is past the entrance on the right and up a slight hill located on the left.  No fee required and food and coffee is available, as well as games and clean restrooms.

photo: Larry Levin

And, as always, for any SoBo related questions, please email me at:  [email protected]

Rog Slocum

127 Center Ave.

Middletown, RI 02842

e-mail:  [email protected]

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Southern Roads & Museums: Long Day’s Journey Home

Since it took us multiple days to travel from our home in the Boston Metro West area to Asheville, NC, Linda and I knew that the return trip was never going to be a single day-long grind.  Remember this is a vacation and we are almost 1000 miles from home.  

We don’t have to get home right away.  We don’t need to get up for work the next day. Oh, the joys of being older. And retired.  So, our plan was to take our time and “meander” home at a leisurely pace.  Three days ought to do it.  However, if something catches our fancy on the way, well…. let’s pull over and give it a shot.  

The keeper of the reservations (Linda) had NOT secured any accommodations for the return trip.  We would take things as they came, working one day at a time.  So, as we begin heading back on Friday the 18th. the general goal is to return to Roanoke by about 2pm.  A distance of about 245 miles if we take the Interstates.  We still wanted to visit the Virginia Museum of Transportation, so if we arrived by 2pm we would have 3 hours and then we could check into a room.  

Looking back on it now, this was a mistake.  A long spell of highway driving in a modern era Porsche 911, while comfortable is certainly not challenging.  Interstates 26 North and then 81 North from Asheville to Roanoke are your typical multi-lane divided roads.  Smooth, wide and somewhat boring.  

Only 2 things stood out for me during this 245-mile trek.  

One was the hills of West Virginia, which is called the Mountain State for good reason.  We were in WV for perhaps 50 miles and most of it was up and down some rather steep inclines.  As we would be coming DOWN a grade, I would look across the divide and see the big 18 wheelers with black smoke belching from their exhaust stacks as they lumbered UP the rising road ahead.  Since Linda and I manage a bit of towing with our motorhome and race car trailer I could sympathize with the drivers of those big rigs as they struggled to make the crest of the next hill. 

The second thing that impressed me was the efficiency of the Porsche vis a vi-gas mileage… MPG.  Most of today we were cruising at about 75-80 MPH and we averaged 30.9 Miles per Gallon in our trusty Miss P.  Here is a car that can probably top 130 MPH and yet if one treats it with a certain amount of restraint it can rival the mileage of many econo-box machines.  Pretty amazing if you ask me.  

So why was this day of travel a mistake? 

Because once again my bone headed decision to hurry back to Roanoke was silly.  What we SHOULD have done is take advantage of the nice weather (it was a beautiful day) and retrace our path on the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway.  We had not been able to see ANYTHING on our south bound journey from Roanoke to Asheville due to the rain, sleet and fog. (Refer to Part 7).  Here was an opportunity to correct that error.  

Instead, we invested 4.5 hours blasting up the Interstate to Roanoke to visit another museum that in retrospect was not worth the effort.   Granted, we DID NOT know this when we headed out.  But still, had I stopped to think (and perhaps consulted the other half of this traveling duo) maybe we would have (should have) altered our plans.  If we had changed things up, the time… and driving pleasure… would have been spent cruising northbound on the Blue Ridge, enjoying the mountain vistas and crossing the Lynn Cove Viaduct.  Rather than that we drove 245 miles on the Interstate. 

Not a very smart decision.  Sometimes my stubborn streak gets the better of me.  And yes, the old saying “hindsight is 20-20” certainly applies in this case.  

After a night at the most expensive Hilton Hotel we encountered on the trip (a result of NOT booking rooms well in advance by the way) we were back on the road Saturday morning heading for our next way point of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  

Refer back now to paragraph 2 above… “If something catches our fancy along the way….”  So it was to be. 

We are cruising at about 70 MPH today on Interstate 81 North.  Our average MPG is 31.5… a direct result of traveling at 70 MPH as opposed to yesterday’s 75-80 MPH.  Along the way we see a sign for the George C. Marshall Museum & Library which is in Lexington, VA.   I am a big World War II buff so immediately pipe up… “Linda, what do you think about that place?  George Marshall was Chief of Staff of the Army during World War II and later was Secretary of State.  He was the author of the Marshall Plan after the war.  That might be interesting.  We have time to stop.  Any thoughts?” 

The exit is maybe 2 miles ahead.  Linda has to act fast!  Out comes the handy I-Phone (what did we ever do without GPS and i-Phones???).  She looks it up.  “It’s closed for renovations.  Will not open till sometime in the fall.”  I think “Bummer”.  Yet I have a sense Linda is thinking “well I certainly dodged a bullet on that one.”  (Pun intended).  

Continuing on for no more than 15 minutes we see another sign.  This one is for the Woodrow Wilson birthplace in Staunton, Virginia.  Linda sees the sign first and I can tell she is somewhat excited.  The phone is in her hand instantly and she begins reading out the features of the site.  “It’s open today.  $15 admission.  There is a museum and a gift shop and they have a house tour.  It’s only about 7 miles off the highway at the next exit.  The pictures on the website are really stunning. I think we should do it”. 

Without a moment’s hesitation the decision is made.  When you have no set plan for the day and only 300 or so miles to cover, you can take things as they come.  And today what has come up was the Woodrow Wilson Museum.  

Staunton, Virginia is a quaint, quiet, well-kept small southern town.  It is the home of Mary Baldwin University but more importantly Staunton is the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States.  

Linda opted for the house tour as well as the museum.  I was attracted to the museum and spent a good deal of time studying Mr. Wilson’s early years and his rise to political prominence.  Also, since I am always attracted to any type of automobile, I invest a decent chunk of time studying the 1919 Pierce Arrow Presidential Limousine.  This vehicle was built in Buffalo NY, yet the driver sits on the RIGHT side of the car.  For an American car this is rather weird for sure.  

All in all we spent almost 3 hours exploring this well thought out homage to a man who tried, unsuccessfully, to change the world.  In our opinion it was time well spent. 

Our final day was just a matter of ‘putting in the miles’.  Eventually you always have to get back home.  Traveling north through eastern Pennsylvania (along some very rough concrete sections of roads), into New Jersey and then finally retracing our tracks across the Tappan Zee (now Mario Como) Bridge and up through Connecticut.   Day 13 was the longest day, distance wise, at 420 total miles.  

Linda keeps rather accurate records.  We traveled a total of 2,289 miles, passed through 11 states and collected 43 of 50 license plates. 

The only tags we did NOT see were Hawaii (understandable) Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming and North Dakota.  By the way Linda and I refer to that last state as GFND (God Forsaken North Dakota) because in all the years we have been playing the license plate game we have only seen North Dakota once.  We both surmise that the people of North Dakota really LOVE their state and thus they don’t venture far from their borders.  

Maybe one day we will take another road trip out that way and perhaps prove that our theory is wrong.  If we ever do make such a journey, we hope that it will be in our trusty Miss. P.  Our most recent exploits have shown that a 911 Porsche really is a great vehicle for exploring Southern Roads and Museums.  

By Ray Boyer

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Everyone Loves A Parade

 PCA Parades have been held every year since 1956, the year after the club began. It is a gathering of Porsche owners held to use, compare and talk about their cars.  That would include a Concours, an autocross, tech sessions and a rally. Like the Club itself (now 150k members) that has been expanded over the years  to include driving tours, Golf tournaments, 5k Runs, RC car Races, Sim racing, an art show and activities for kids. There are now two types of rallys,  TSD (time speed distance) and a gimmick rally. What used to be a long weekend has expanded into a week long event.  At least a week is needed just to catch up with all the Porsche friends that haven’t been seen for a year from all over the US.  

This year’s gathering in the Poconos drew over 1200 cars and was the largest ever. Many local members attended and four of us met on the Mass Pike and went down as a group. Brother, Bill, drove up from MD to put the Speedsters together again.

Because of the size of the gathering it is tough to find a location that can accommodate that many people since lots of dinners and banquets are always planned. The Kalahari Resort Convention Center includes a waterpark and did a great job taking care of everyone.

The first event that we participated in was the Concours that was held  in the parking lot of the resort as rain the week before had made the beautiful surrounding fields too soft to drive on. Many of the judged cars were left inside in the prep room on a first come first serve basis. It only had room for half the field of over 130 entrants. We intended to put our Tubs in the street class since they were driven over 250 miles  to get there (no enclosed trailers for us) but we wound up in a Full class that had the judges climbing all over them.

                           

Bills car came out ahead of Blackie but both of us were at the bottom of the page in the 356 class. We faired better the next day at the Autocross held at Pocono Raceway, where I took First place and Bill was second

The next event for us was the TSD Rally which was done using a phone app (of course) that didn’t require any checkpoints along the route. There were 20 virtual checkpoints and they gave us immediate results when we passed by them on the route. Some of the instructions were pretty far apart and in a couple of cases just when we were wondering if we were still on course the phone would ding and tell us that we had just passed a checkpoint. It was amazing. We did get off course a couple of times but the system allowed us to add (or reduce) the time without a penalty and that saved us. Points are added for each second early or late at a checkpoint and we did get some 1’s and 3’s which inspired us to really pay attention to instructions. The odometer in Blackie isn’t exactly high tech but is was a perfect day for a drive over some great roads in the Ponoco mountains. Neither of us have done a Rally in years but this format will certainly make those events more attractive. I could do a rally with grandkids.

With the exception of the Concours, it was a pretty thin field of 356s at Parade. Lots of SUV’s and late model 911’s. As the week went along we realized we were the only two Tubs still there as the show cars had all gone home in their sealed trailers. Whenever we parked it seemed that a lot of other owners were taking our picture. Many of the younger members weren’t born when our Tubs were built but they certainly had their iphone 13’s handy.

We took a brewery tour at the oldest beer producer in the US, Yuengling, in business since 1829. The beer was great (free samples to old guys). They have been in the same building since 1831 and a lot of the brewing equipment looked to be original, including the break room that would make a great bar today.

It wouldn’t be Parade without a Tech Quiz and Bill and I had both signed up for the 356 test. The main body (60 out of 100 questions) of the test was made up of general questions about Porsche (What’s the displacement of a 2020 Boxster Spyder? – 4.0 liter) and things like their racing history over the years (How many times did Derek Bell win LeMans in a Porsche? – 4 times). The smaller section covered questions about the model selected. Choices were 356, 911, 914, 944, Macan, etc. There were some really tricky questions ( When were disc brakes first used on a 356 ?– 1962 Carrera2) and Bill did it best with a second place and I was behind him in 4th.  

The last drive was on Saturday afternoon called the  Parade of Porsches that drove the 11 miles to Ponoco Raceway with a police escort. 300 Porsches were lined up and stopped traffic in a number of small towns along the way. We got a lap in on the 2.5 mile track looking down onto the infield where the autocross had been held. By the time we headed back to the Kalahari Resort folks along the route were in their front yards with their phones in hand. Great fun.

Our day wasn’t over when we got back because one of the lots had been emptied so that we cound spell out the 70th anniversary logo with Porsches. Vu Nguyen, Executive Director of PCA, who covers everything Porsche and was everywhere at Parade, had one last trick set up for us before the final dinner. He had called for red cars before the drive to make up the center of the logo as the rest of us were the border. It came out great.

A sponsor new to PCA, was Princess Cruises who gave away a 7 day cruise. The winner could pick from any of the destinations on their list and they seem to be everywhere there’s water. Door prize drawings were done at every dinner with all sorts of great gifts including sets of tires (Michelin), Coco Mats and Porsche hats. The best part was when a members son, about 13 years old, was pressed into service by the MC to draw all the tickets for the prizes at the Autocross Awards Dinner. Boredom was written across his face drawing tickets to give away hats and window cleaner until he drew his fathers name for the set of tires. His feet never reached the stage for 10 minutes.

Additional vendor support included wine glasses (Leland West), car wash area supplies (Griot’s Garage), and Volunteer shirts (Pelican Parts). Goodie bags were filled with all sorts of car stuff that we find useful. Even free stickers suitable for grandkids were everywhere. I even snagged a nice desk clock from Porsche with the Martini logo and another NER member won a Porsche watch.

The Victory Awards Banquet on the last night had a great program from long time supporter, Reliable  Carriers, Inc who raffled off a free ride to next years Parade in Palm Springs, CA in one of their covered carriers. That is too far for Blackie to drive so we’re shooting for the 2024 Parade in Birmingham, AL (think Barber Motorsport Park). East coast owners should put that on their to do list now.

Any time a PCA Parade gets to this side of the Mississippi river and you can drive there, do it. You’ll have a great week.

KTF

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