AZPCA Drives - East Valley Loop

STORY BY Jim Oster

On the beautiful Sunday morning of March 12th, 28 Porsches departed Sprouts Farmers Market in Mesa on a two-hour, 100-mile loop of the East Valley. Coupes, Cabriolets, Targa’s, Spyder’s, Boxster’s, Turbos, GTs and one Cayenne all in a beautiful row or actually two rows. Heading east on Highway 60, we dropped over the Gonzalez Pass into the Tonto National Forest where the mountain ranges and vistas on this sunny 70-degree day were stunning. Upon entering Superior, we headed south on Highway 177 which led us into what a Porsche is made for; winding roads with grades of as much as 10% where you could feel gravity trying to pull your car down the road. A great test of the braking and cornering ability of our German vehicles. Before reaching our first stop in Winkelman, we passed through copper country, specifically past the Ray Copper Mine. Seeing some of the dirt roads surrounding the mine, I was dreaming of test driving a new Porsche Dakar on them. I am new to Arizona and didn’t know that Arizona is the largest producer of copper in the United States producing 60% of our country’s production. While the area around the mines may not have the beauty of the rest of the drive, it may be interesting to know that copper is an important component of our Porsche with about 50 pounds of copper content in each vehicle. After our break in Winkelman, we headed north back toward Globe on Highway 77 where we drove through beautiful Saguaro forests lined with yellow desert flowers. This section of the drive, while still fun and winding, seemed largely uphill, at a grade of 8% in places, before ultimately reaching a peak elevation of 4,983 feet. Our final stop before breaking for lunch and home was in Globe. After lunch at Guayo’s on the Trail in Globe, I personally headed northwest on Highway 188 past Roosevelt Lake for home, what a beautiful stretch of highway and I assume a glimpse of what’s ahead for the Club’s April drive.

After a 3-year absence, the Porsche Club of America –Southern Arizona Region invites you to attend the return of our annual Zone 8 Cinco de Mayo Concours d’Elegance.

The event will include 4 days of Porsche fun in beautiful Tucson, AZ.

Thursday, May 4 – Golf Tournament

Thu, May 4 – PCA-SAR Cinco de Mayo Golf Tournament https://pcasar.motorsportreg.com/events/pca-sar-cinco-de-mayo-golf-event-forty-ninercountry-club-southern-arizona-919966

Friday, May 5 – Welcome Party

Saturday, May 6 – Concours d’Elegance and Awards Banquet - including trophies and door prizes!

Sunday, May 7 – Fun Tour

Fri, May 5 – PCA-SAR Cinco de Mayo Concours Welcome Party https://pcasar.motorsportreg.com/events/pca-sar-cinco-de-mayo-zone-8-concoursweekend-tucson-country-club-983138

Special Room Rates will be available at our host hotel –Sheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites

Sat, May 6 - PCA-SAR Zone 8 Cinco de Mayo Concours at the Tucson Country Club

Registration Information is coming soon to our website –www.pcasar.org https://pcasar.motorsportreg.com/events/pca-sar-cinco-de-mayo-zone-8-concoursweekend-tucson-country-club-983138

Sun, May 7 – PCA-SAR Cinco de Mayo Tour https://pcasar.motorsportreg.com/events/pca-sar-cinco-de-mayo-zone-8-concoursweekend-tucson-country-club-983138

Note: Free Event T-Shirt if you register before April 15.