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NER’s Driver Ed. is waiting for you!

Are you a new club member or perhaps, a long term member getting back into Porsche-related activities?  Are you interested in expanding your Porsche experience into the more exotic realm or would you like to drive your Porsche ‘spiritedly’ without the risk of running afoul of the polizei?

If you answered yes to any of the above, we invite you  NER’s Driver Education Events!

The Details:

PCA’s Driver Education program, the most popular activity offered by NER is for all PCA Club members who are licensed drivers and 18 or older. NER’s DE Events are especially known to be among the best organized, safest and the most enjoyable and rewarding driver events in this part of the country.

Drivers participating in NER’s on-track Driver Education events must hold current memberships in PCA or other recognized car club (such as BMW CCA), have a valid driver’s license and be at least 18 years old.

Let’s get you signed up:

Registration is open at this link: Club Registration. If you are a first-time visitor to Club Registration you will need to create a profile.  This will save you time later as registrations for our DE events are also made through this site.  After creating a profile search “By Category” for this event selecting “Northeast Region PCA” as the club.

We hope to show you that the best way to truly experience and appreciate your Porsche is by driving it on track. Questions? –  email Stan Corbett or call me (please, NLT 9PM) at 774-275-1621.

For a refresher and beginners intro:

The 2021 DE Ground School Presentation is AVAILABLE HERE<—Click there ?

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2022 DE Dates Are Published

Drivers Education (DE) is a program developed by PCA to give drivers the opportunity to learn how to drive their cars on real racetracks in a safe, controlled and fun environment.  Typically a DE event is run over 2 or 3 days. Each day usually has four or five driving groups (divided by experience and skill level) on track four times for 20 to 30 minutes each session. To ensure maximum safety and fun you’re placed in a run group with other drivers with similar experience and skill levels. In the novice groups, drivers are accompanied by PCA trained and certified instructors who will teach you high performance driving techniques and fundamentals. DE driving is not racing or even preparation for racing. The events are not timed and there are no prizes. Prescribed passing zones and rules and codes of conduct add to the safe environment.

From an enthusiasts perspective, DE can easily become a lifestyle throughout the summer and in fact year ’round.  Waking moments are spent at the track, or thinking about the next time there.  We live for the rush of adrenaline that comes from moments like touching 140 mph just before jumping on the brakes at the “bus stop” at Watkins Glen.  Or, allowing the car to drift out to the turn-in, at the end of the front straight before powering over a blind cresting apex at Mont-Tremblant.  Just as importantly, highpoints of our summer at DE events include laughing with new and old friends over the events of the day.

To register for NER events, please visit Club Registration. Registration for NER DE events will open on March 1st (except for Mont-Tremblant & Calabogie, our Canada events) which will open later (To Be Announced).

Are you are new to DE’ing? Are you a new member of the Porsche Club? Or, perhaps, a long term member getting back into Porsche-related activities? Are you interested in expanding your Porsche experience into more exotic realms? Would you like to drive your Porsche ‘spiritedly’ without the risk of running afoul of the polizei? If so, we highly recommend attending our 2022 DE Ground School which will be sponsored by HMS Motorsports of Danvers, MA. The DE ground school will be held on April 24th at Palmer Motorsports Park. As a teaser, the 2021 DE Ground School presentation package is available here.

DE is a different experience for everyone. You’ve got to try it.  The only critical components are desire and a car!

Drill deeply into the DE section of our web site, you’ll find lots of information and helpful ideas. Hope to see you at the track.

Stan Corbett, NER Registrar.

2022 NER & NCR Driver Education Schedule is available here (scroll down to see the events and click on the event dates for details).

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NER Autocross Update 2021

From Chris Ryan, NER AX Chair:
Plans are underway to run a complete Autocross Season for 2021. We are still awaiting finalization of contracts with Devens but plans are to open up the runways for our events in April/May as we normally do!

By then, the hope is that the COVID situation will be trending
toward significant improvement but it’s likely we’ll still be required to wear masks and practice social distancing to be safe. That said, we are working to allo for safe, in-car instruction, making it easier to open the events up to newcomers this season.

All of this depends on final agreements between the AX Clubs and Devens about COVID protocols, and these may not be finalized until the beginning of the season. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.
In the meantime, we hope people will come out to Devens for some fun on the runways … the dates are posted on porschenet.com. Registration will be open on motorsportreg.com in April 10th so get your cars ready and mark your calendars!

Get your cars ready, mark your calendars and plan to come out and chase some cones again!

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NER WINTER BEATERS VOL.2

What’s your name and where do you reside?

“Chris Bassett, normally I split time between Needham and Southboro (where my family is). But since COVID, we’ve been spending most of our time on Cape Cod (3-4 days a week.)

(Are you working from home, then?)

Yup, as a financial planner for Boston-based firm. I’m currently in the process of going back to business school.”

What’s your first Porsche experience ?

“*Laughs* Long long ago.” Chris’ Grandfather was a car collector (mostly European). He had the first Lamborghini (400GT) which he bought in 1968.

Chris’ Nextdoor neighbor was a former Porsche racecar driver. He had every kind of [classic and modern] Porsche imaginable. For his bday every year, he would give Chris’ dad his keys to one of his 911s for the weekend. “From 3 onward, I have these incredible memories of riding in every kind of 911 with my dad. That cemented it and I knew I needed one.”

Flash forward and Chris got his first Porsche – a 2008 Cayman S with 20,000 miles, in 2016. The owner had barely driven it. Owning the car for 3 years, he put 40,000 miles on it. “I loved that car. It’s still the best handling car I’ve ever driven. On, on-ramps and tight corners, it’s planted and just unbelievable. Zero body roll and such quick responses. The only thing I didn’t like as an enthusiast was not being able to see or touch the engine.”

In 2019, Chris purchased a 2014, 911. “That was the childhood dream for me. Everything about that car… there’s nothing I would change except a bit more power… Manual too. I store it in the wintertime on a battery tender but I do drive it three seasons (favorite is Fall.) It’s been so reliable – just oil changes and battery maintenance and it starts right up in the spring.

What’s your history with PCA and New England?

Chris got his Cayman in 2016 – so 2-3 years before that. He interned for a Porsche dealership in CA while in school and joined then. He tries to attend Cars and Coffee as much as possible and is planning to get on the track this year. Hoping there will be PCA new england track events this year!!! (Stay tuned for updated Chris, we’re excited to see you there!)

Winter driving:

Chris has an E92 3-series that he’s had since brand new – it now has 150,000 miles with X-drive and it’s been rock solid. “I sold it at one point when I moved back to Boston and was living in the North End. I just didn’t need a ‘daily’ as I had my Cayman and wasn’t driving during the week. [4 years later,] I moved to Newton, and bought the exact same car back, still in great condition. He (the buyer) didn’t need it anymore. In the family there are a couple other winter cars. Unfortunately, it’s [the 3-series] an automatic – but I’m a stick shift enthusiast for sure. If I never had to drive an automatic again I wouldn’t. All my other cars have been manual – when looking for the 911, I specifically wanted a manual.” The Cayman was also manual. 

“I choose not to drive my 911 in winter – but they are very well-engineered four-season capable cars. I wouldn’t be worried on the right tires – but since I have a “winter beater,” why not take advantage of it?”

 How are you keeping busy beyond cars this winter?

“Good question. Down on the Cape, we’re in a quiet community. I’ve been trying to walk and run; get as much fresh air as I can. It’s nice to have a beautiful and pretty empty place to feel a little bit more relaxed and not feel crowded.”

Chris is applying to schools and working has been taking up a lot of his time.. He has Been able to meet up with his dad to play tennis 3x a week – that’s another big passion that’s a little harder when it’s snowing.

 Favorite and least favorite parts of winter? 

Favorite: The scenery of New england in the snow (the day after a snowstorm) especially in Boston. “Looking across the harbor or walking down city streets to grab a pastry..”

Least favorite: “Salt on the roads! Can’t go anywhere without getting a carwash. *laughs*”

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

Best: My sister has a Volvo XC90 – that thing is ‘unstoppable!’

Worst: “RWD E46 – at the time, it was on all seasons. Couldn’t go ANYWHERE in that – well, maybe sideways. Could get stuck going downhill.”

“Rental car once, Chevy cobalt on bald tires – I couldn’t even get out of the lot.”

Safe and Happy Driving Chris! We wish you the best of luck in your school search process and hope to see you get some hot laps on the track with us this year!

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NER Winter Beaters Vol.1

NER Winter Beaters Vol.1

What’s your name and where do you reside?

Joe Cracco –  Cumberland, RI

What’s your first Porsche experience ?

5 years ago – Joe was on vacation for his birthday. Part of the vacation was to pitstop and meet up with his buddy, Randall, a Porsche guy in Florida. Joe rented a Ferrari 458 for a few days and also drove Randall’s, Cayenne Turbo. A few day later, he ended up at a family party. At the party Joe met another Porsche guy, who had a 2012 Boxster Spyder (987.) They start talking cars and Joe V. asks the magic words –  “Wanna drive my Spyder?” – not 5 minutes later Joe mentions his reaction being “The Ferrari was great, but THIS Spyder IS AMAZING…I’M HOOKED!” (sounds about right)

What’s your history with PCA and New England?

After the Spyder experience and upon his return to RI, Joe joined PCA when he came home and started browsing. He went to The Mart. He wanted a 981, so he started looking at used Cayman S’s or GTS’s – with some specific requests. “It had to be sapphire blue, it had to have PDK, Sport Chrono, PASM, Sport Exhaust…..” Joe explained, “but every time I found exactly the right car, it was sold. Then I hear about the 718 Spyder” in late 2017. ” So I go the dealership, put my name on a list for the Spyder (which still doesn’t officially exist yet). I scour the internet every day looking for the official release announcement, but it doesn’t get announced…months go by…I am driving myself bananas!” It had now been 2.5 years since driving the Spyder in Florida, and Joe still doesn’t own a Porsche! “Finally, I got sick of waiting so I call them (Porsche Warwick) and ask, what the hell do you have on the lot? After saying I’d never get a convertible, I got a 2013 Boxster (981) in Aug 2018. I was freakin’ hooked!” A year goes by and it’s Oct 2019… “I am scrolling on Cargurus and I see it! The 2014 Cayman S with all the options I’d been looking for.  I told my wife Amy I am trading in my Boxster (she rolls her eyes). After days of trying to get the car, Joe gets an email…”You still want the car?” it was in western PA and Joe couldn’t travel. The Porsche guy friend from Florida flies to, CT then drives to Cumberland RI, to help Joe out. “He grabbed the Boxster from my house, drove it to western PA, picked up my my Cayman S but it wasn’t until two weeks later that he drove the car back to me. Meanwhile, in those two weeks, he took it to our high school reunion, and there were videos of people doing triple digits in my car before I even saw it. He eventually delivered my Cayman S dream car to me…and you know what I learned? I LOVED the convertible more than the Cayman…… and the 2021 Spyder is a convertible GT4.”

Winter driving:

“If it’s 38 or higher my top is down with the heat on” ( Despite my telling Joe I thought his idea was crazy, he iterated that a convertible is meant to be driven with the top down – Fair point, Joe)

 How are you keeping busy beyond cars this winter?

“Skiing, snow shoe-ing, hangin’ out in the cabin. Leukemia paused my business for 1.5 yrs…now I am getting the business back up (after 21 years of running it all along)…and making maple syrup”

Favorite and least favorite parts of winter? 

Favorite – winter activities 

Least Favorite – having to work a job site in the winter 

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

Best: “I loved my Subaru (2.5L, 5 speed Legacy Wagon with Blizzaks) and my buddy Andy’s Mazda 323GTX was a hoot doing ice racing” (Joe has a knack for the track and Auto X and has been involved in these since the 80s)

Worst: “A car my dad was going to get for me and my sister to share – It was a late 70s Corolla, so i said no thanks and got my own car, a Datsun 200sx” (either car would be highly respected and sought after in the JDM culture today). Correction: the Datsun 200SX was 5 cars later.  My first car was an early 70’s K5 Chevy Blazer (blew the engine within a year), then I got a Fox-body Mercury Capri 5.0 liter (lots of fun w/ that!), then a piece of $#!t, rusted out VW Rabbit, then a ’55 Chevy wagon (stylish and fun, but not a commuter car), THEN my first Datsun 200 SX (then an ’89 Mazda MX-6 GT Turbo, then another Datsun 200SX and on and on….Volvo, Acura, Subaru, Ford, Chevy, Porsche)

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

“Everybody’s got a different take on this thing…they say I they don’t wanna get salt on it, or get hit by another car, or I have a truck. I have a 4WD truck too. The roads are perfectly dry right now (January). If you have a car you love, why go through the fuel stabilizer and surround it with mothballs, and try to avoid a mouse living in the car? Just drive it! I’m driving a 2021 Spyder in the winter, so you can drive your Carrera 4 or anything else…just try it once. I don’t know, maybe I am too addicted to my car.”

Cheers to many more smiles per hour in your 2021 Spyder Joe! (no freon was wasted during the making this NER WinterBeaters”

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Come Ramble With Us At Bretton Woods, NH April 30-May 2, 2021

Registration Opens Wednesday January 20, 2021

Please see registration details here: 2021 NER PCA Ramble in Bretton Woods, NH 

Since 1986, literally thousands of club members have kicked off their driving season by attending NER’s Annual Spring Ramble. In recent years, over 300 people driving 175+ Porsches (some Ramblers do occasionally drive vehicles other than Porsches) have turned out to enjoy good friends, good food, and a weekend at a top-notch resort hotel.

At this time, we’re planning for this to be a “traditional” Ramble with all the usual components – Friday night welcome reception, morning and afternoon Saturday drives in northern New Hampshire with a buffet lunch, Saturday night cocktail reception followed by a plated and festive dinner, and Sunday morning getaway brunch. However, given the current state of the pandemic, we are developing contingency plans in order to maintain the spirit of the event while ensuring everyone’s safety.

When we announce all the details in early January, we’ll share our best laid plans based upon the state of the world at that time. Nevertheless, given the unpredictable twists and turns we’ve all experienced since last March, it may be necessary to make changes as the winter unfolds. We’re considering many creative approaches to enable as many people as possible to enjoy this 35th annual New England Ramble. However, it may be necessary to limit total attendance to prudently social distance.

Rest assured that as much as we want the Ramble to return in it’s very sociable traditional format, our first concern is to keep everyone safe. We look forward to seeing you in the White Mountains next spring, enjoying both your cars and the people that make PCA the club we choose to be a part of.

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2020 Ramble Cancelled

The latest update from our Ramblemeisters, Dennis and Carol Friedman:

Hi Ramblers,

This would have been the 35th Annual Ramble, but the restrictions and uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 have made it impossible to safely provide you with a “proper” Ramble experience.

Everyone registered will receive their registration fees back in full, and The Otesaga will be issuing credit for all of your room deposits WITHOUT NEED FOR YOU TO DO ANYTHING except check your credit card account to ensure you receive your refund. In both cases, it may take more than 1 card cycle for these credits to appear in your credit card account.

But don’t despair, because on Wednesday January 20, 2021, we plan to open registration for the 2021 Ramble! Let’s hope we’ve put Covid-19 in our collective rear view mirrors by that time, so we can all enjoy our usual large, gregarious, driving, and sociable get-together in true Ramble fashion.

Until then, enjoy your Porsche, and stay safe,
Dennis and Carol Friedman
Ramblemeisters

A prior update from our Ramblemeisters, Dennis and Carol Friedman:

 I can now confirm that the 2020 Ramble has been re-scheduled at The Otesaga Resort Hotel for Sunday November 8 thru Tuesday November 10.

As you might expect, many organizations have been scrambling to re-schedule events at The Otesaga, and there was not a Friday thru Sunday, Thursday thru Saturday, or Saturday thru Monday where we could get more than 83 rooms for both nights. Since we already had nearly 140 rooms booked 2 months before the April event, it didn’t seem right to re-schedule to dates where we could only satisfy about 60% of those members already confirmed. As a result, our first November Ramble will also be the first to have us driving and banqueting on a Monday!

We have reserved the entire hotel on Sunday and Monday nights as well as 26 rooms in the Hotel for Saturday night. In addition there will be about 10 rooms available at the Cooper Inn on Friday and Saturday nights. If you decide to come early and stay at the Cooper Inn, you should be able to stay there for Sunday and Monday as well, or move to The Otesaga for the 2 nights of the Ramble. While there are no rooms available at this time before Friday, anyone wishing to stay beyond Tuesday breakfast can definitely book at our attractive rates for another 3 days.

All existing hotel reservations will be cancelled, and your deposits refunded. Refunds may take 2-3 billing cycles to appear on your credit card statement. To ensure that current confirmed registrants receive preference, UNTIL MAY 1, THE OTESAGA WILL ONLY ACCEPT NEW NOVEMBER RESERVATIONS FROM PEOPLE WITH AN EXISTING RESERVATION. As of Monday May 4, registration will re-open for the re-scheduled Ramble on ClubReg, and the NER website will announce the new dates to the complete club membership.

To take advantage of your booking priority, please call The Otesaga Resort Hotel promptly to reserve in our room block. There are no online reservations. YOU CAN ONLY BOOK YOUR ROOM BY CALLING 607-353-6906 ON WEEKDAYS (Monday thru Friday 9:00-5:00) identifying yourself as guests of the “Porsche Club of America – Northeast Region”. They will require a deposit of 1 night’s lodging which is fully refundable until 3 days before your check-in. AT THIS TIME, THE OTESAGA ONLY HAS 2 AGENTS ANSWERING PHONES, SO YOU MAY BE PLACED ON HOLD OR GET VOICE MAIL, AND IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE WHILE FOR YOU TO GET A RETURN CALL AFTER LEAVING A VOICE MAIL. We appreciate your understanding of the realities of the world as it is at the moment.

In regard to room rates, I’m pleased to report that pricing will be $15/night less than our original rates. So after months of travel restrictions and health concerns, feel free to extend your visit on the shores of Lake Otesaga.

The only bright side to this whole ordeal, is that after we complete our November Ramble, you’ll only have to wait 5 months to do it all over again on April 30 – May 2, 2021.

Contact me with any questions or concerns.

Stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you all in Cooperstown,
Dennis & Carol Friedman
Ramblemeisters

More details on the event page >

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NER DE Update

To our DE community from Adam Schwartz, NER Track Chair –

The season as a whole had been shaping up to be another great year. We were on target for our normal yearly opener, the Novice Event at Thompson Speedway. It is followed by the wonderful events at Palmer Motorsports Park, Watkins Glen (including our usual Dinosaur BBQ), and our new, great plans for Calabogie. Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to read my note in the April edition of the NOR’EASTER. If not, please check it out.

Then came COVID-19.

At this time, my main hope is that everyone is safe, healthy, and at home – and that this is not directly affecting you or your families.

I also wanted to provide an update on where we stand on the season. I have been watching carefully as our situation has changed with the goal of providing clear information about how it would ultimately affect our upcoming DE season. It’s now April and things are about as clear as mud. One thing is clear–the DE committee wants to get back on track as soon as possible. As of right now, no NER DE events have been cancelled. Currently, the state of Connecticut has its restrictions on gatherings through April 30th which allows us the potential that we will be able to hold our event at Thompson on May 22-24. That may change. I have been in regular contact with the tracks. I am also keeping a very close eye on the information published by the Governors of MA, CT, NY and even Quebec. My feeling is that we will eventually make it back on track–hopefully sooner rather than later.

Whatever we do, we are going to do it with safety in mind. We are going to need to work social distancing into the equation.

But I need your help.

If you intend to come to our events this season, PLEASE SIGN UP NOW.

I need to know who can plan to attend so we know what to try to plan for. This is not an obligation. If government regulations keep us from holding the events, you will get FULLY REFUNDED. You are incurring no risk by signing up. You will be lending us your support, so we can do our best to get us all on track this season.

We will share more, as more information becomes available.

Thank you for everyone’s support,
Adam Schwartz, NER Track Chair

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