PorschePatter
Content Contributions
Henry L. Becker, Jr. Marsha Buss Aniano Arao Steve Buss Greg Hartke
Photo Contributions
Henry L. Becker, Jr. Ryan Boxler Marsha Buss Jim McKee Aniano Arao
Editor
Henry L. Becker, Jr.
EDITOR’S
Henry L. Becker, Jr.
Editor, Porsche Patter
It’s fall and I must travel.
For the third year running, I made it my mission to do a budget (sort of) trip to Stuttgart. The point of the trip(s) have been to photograph every car in the Zuffenhausen Porsche Museum.
I’m talking quick trips - live 4 days on the ground of which two are spent photographing the museum.
This year was a little different. In the ensuing years the Stuttgart area has grown on me. I’ve adopted VfB Stuttgart as my European football team, I love the food and the city just never seems to get old for me.
This year I was able to take in my first Bundesliga match, tried lots of new foods and explored more of the city that birthed the legends that we drive and admire on the race track.
As has been the case the last two years, there is a link to the Google Photos album of all 500+ photographs shot in the museum.
Prost, Henry
CLUB LEADERSHIP
PPRESIDENT Steve Buss president@pcachs.org
S SECRETARY
Ken W ilmers secretar y@pcachs.org
Executive VP
Steve Wood executivevicepresident@pcachs.org
Autocross
Greg Hartke / Mark autocross@pcachs.orgHubley
Historian
Bob Rassa historian@pcachs.org
Driving Instructor
Ellen Beck instructor@pcachs.org
Community Service
Dan McNally comunityservice@pcachs.org
Concours
Paul Koenigsmark, Phil Andrews Dan Zadra concours@pcachs.org
Chesapeake Chlng
Kristen Allen chesapeakechallenge@pcachs.org
P VICE PRESIDENT
Mar k Miller vicepresident@pcachs.org T TREASURER
Andy Powell treasurer@pcachs.org
Committee Chairs
Insurance
Wayne Nelms insurance@pcachs.org
Membership
Rob Carter, Jessie Sanchez membership@pcachs.org
R Marshaegistrar Buss msregistrar@pcachs.org
N ewsletter Editor
Henry Becker editor@pcachs.org
PCA License
Laurie & Bruce Tarsia pcalicenseplates@pcachs.org
PCA Zone 2 Rep
Phil Grandfield zonerep@pcachs.org
Photography
Jim McKee / Ryan Boxler photography@pcachs.org
Publicity
James Beavan III publicity@pcachs.org
Saf ety
John Jensen safety@pcachs.org
Social
Marsha & Steve Buss social@pcachs.org
Sunshine
Doug Ehmann sunshine@pcachs.org
Webmaster
Henry Becker webmaster@pcachs.org
Tour & Rally
Aniano Arao / Rich Ehrlich tour@pcachs.org rally@pcachs.org
Tech
Jim Earlbeck / Randall Richter Rick Hawver tech@pcachs.org
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Greetings Everyone,
As 2024 comes to an end, we all have a lot to be thankful for this year. I am extremely thankful for all the volunteers who spent countless hours creating fun times and memorable events. On November 9th we celebrated our volunteers at the annual Volunteer Luncheon Sponsored by Porsche Owings Mills, awarding the Enthusiast of the Year Award to the Carter family - Rob, Grace, and Allison Carter. Congratulations, we celebrate your passion. Additionally, we celebrated Aniano Arao’s illustrious career as Tour and Rally Master by presenting him with the Chesapeake Region Award of Excellence, as he is retiring at the end of the year. Aniano joined the Tour & Rally Committee in 2016 and has offered our members 111 tours and rallies and thousands of hours of volunteer time, dedication and passion. He has the wonderful ability to discover the best curvy, twisty roads, even in West Virginia. Thank you Aniano. We are all grateful for your service!
Our final two Community Service Charity Events will happen at Porsche Hunt Valley on Saturday December 7th beginning at 8am. This is the 14th year the Chesapeake Region has supported the Kindertime Toy Drive and Linda’s Legacy “Giving Back” programs. Pete O’Neil, WMAR TV, the driving force behind Kindertime Toy Drive, will be on hand as we open our hearts to our neighborhood’s needy children by collecting unwrapped toys for the Kindertime kids. Jeanette Sudanno from Linda’s Legacy will be in attendance for our second charity event of the day where we will organize and stuff backpacks with warm winter clothing including coats, hats, gloves, socks, shirts and pants for those in need. Each backpack costs $25 and in a good year we assemble 400 backpacks! Please help make 2024 a great year! The link for Linda’s Legacy “Giving Back” is here and remember, when making a donation, be sure to use the drop down menu and select “Porsche Club”.
Following the charity events, we will assemble for a Drivers Meeting and Tour through the beautiful country roads in northern Baltimore County eventually ending at the Manor Tavern for lunch. It will be a wonderful day and I’m asking members to be generous and show compassion to the young girls and boys needing warm clothes and toys. Thank you. And thank you to Dan McNally for organizing this event and to
Steve Postol, General Manager Porsche Hunt Valley for hosting this event for the last 14 years, and Rich Ehrlich for organizing the tour and lunch.
We conducted our final Board Meeting of the year on November 6th. Financially we are in fine shape. Andy Powell prepared a draft budget for all the committee chairs to review and comment. We are all working on filling out the 2025 calendar with hopes we will hit the ground running in January. The next board meeting is on January 22, 2025 and everyone is welcome to attend.
We enjoyed over 60 events this year and we can always use volunteers, so if you have an interest, please contact me at president@pcachs.org. If you are looking for an exciting opportunity to volunteer, current position openings include Webmaster, Patter Editor, and Social Committee. Interested in taking on a more active role but do not think you are qualified? Don’t worry, we will train you.
Thank you, Porsche Owings Mills, for hosting our New Member Party along with your Macan EV Launch. What a great turnout! We had about 50 members and more than 20 new members attend, and they were treated to a scrumptious brunch provided by the dealership. This was a terrific meet and greet opportunity for all members, new and old.
Our December Dinner Social is at Park Tavern in Severna Park and the Autocross Awards lunch is on December 14th . The After Holiday Party is planned for January 11th. We will have our New Year’s Welcome Social on January 18th at the Open Gate Guinness Brewery. Our yearly family-oriented Super Slot Car
Steve Buss
President Chesapeake Region, PCA
Racing event is scheduled for February 1. So yes, there are fun events planned for the Winter months. Keep your eyes on the calendar as events will be added fast and furious as they become firm. If you have ideas or suggestions for the Club please email social@pcachs.org.
I wish you happy holidays and a healthy New Year!
Thanks to all of you for making Chesapeake Region so much fun!
It’s the cars that bring us together, but it is the people that make it special.
Be well and safe travels,
Steve
UPCOMING EVENTS
PROST!
Anniversaries by: Rob
Carter
35 Years
Sandy & Irv Yospa
30 Years
John & Sherri Turco
25 Years
Lee Rock
20 Years
Russell & Normal Pettis
Barbara White
15 Years
Charles & C. Andrew Visconage
Robert & Nancy Merritt
Gintaras Sakalauskas Donna Castelo
It’s not just the cars, it’s the people.
Bill Parlatore
Dale Horn Lou Mangione Ian Sokoloski Fred Williams
5 Year
John Gayleard David Canale
Matthew Albanese Joseph Geraghty Douglas Slocum Brian Trevey Oliver Thorne
Marjorie & Kennith Swiecicki Connor Anton
Christine & Jon Hill
Ross Cummins
Glenn & Katherine Cowan
Robert Harvey
Bill Rock
Patrick Arnold
Sean Werner
Jonathan Martien
Richard & Jeanette Griffin
Young Song
Diane Alejo
Mark Mcdaniel
Mike & Teri Maurer
Cindy Jackson
Peter Chung
*** Please excuse us for any inconsistencies in reports as PCA HQ continues to improve the system. See CHS PCA website for full Membership Committee Report***
New Members
Thomas Coccagna 2004 911 Carrera
Vincent Jackson 1991 928 S4
Bert Collins 2006 Cayman S
Mike Bodnar 2025 718 Cayman S
Melany Goulding 2021 Macan Turbo
Kelsi Bracmort 2004 2023 Macan T S
Peter Dietrich 1993 968
Muhammad Awan 2021 718 Cayman GT4
Eric Holmes 2022 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
Ryan2004Dunham Cayenne S
ChristopherChristopherBailey Bailey
Erick2025Pope 718 Boxster GTS 4.0
Lee2008GoldbergCayenne Turbo
Nate Morin 2025 911 Carrera
Richard Orr 2022 718 Boxster
MEMBER NUMBERS
by: Rob Carter
& S
Brian T. Rosenbaum & Serena Meenan 1991 928 S4 2015 911 GT3
FEATURED STORY
photos used by Henry Becker words by Henry Becker
What’s in the Museum?
A Stuttgart Story
No sooner did the 2023 Porsche Museum trip end I was already planning the next one. It started in 2022 as a wish to see the Zuffenhausen Porsche Museum, and now it’s looking like it may be an annual trip. What follows is a short account of this year’s trip from 11/7/2024 to 11/11/2024.
I reverted to my 2022 logistics this year, taking an Amtrak train from BWI to Newark, NJ, and flying to Frankfurt. Once in Frankfurt, it’s an hour(ish) ICE train ride to Stuttgart. Sure, there are faster ways to get from Maryland to Stuttgart, but they are much more expensive. I enjoy riding trains. In particular, traveling around Germany via train is a meditation for me.
In the past two years, I stayed at the B&B Hotel in Zuffenhausen, just around the corner from the museum. This year, I shook it up and chose a hotel in Stuttgart. I picked the Premier Inn Europaviertel, an eight-minute walk from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof. It is a very nice, modern hotel near the Milaneo shopping mall. You could not ask for a better location with multiple restaurants and an Aldi grocery store at your doorstep.
This year, I added a day to the trip to see more of the city and to attend a VfB Stuttgart match against Eintracht Frankfurt at MHP stadium. With the trip being in early November versus mid to late October in previous years, the weather was more fall-like. Cool, crisp air and no leaves on the trees cast a perfect fall backdrop.
With an early check-in at the hotel secured, my city exploration began. The first order of business - visiting the VfB fan shop near the stadium in Bad Cannstatt. The game against Frankfurt would be my first VfB and first Bundesliga match. As a VfB fan, I needed some gear. Not only that, wearing hometown colors on match day helps with avoiding deadly stares (or worse) around the stadium.
Although tired from the overnight flight, I explored the city and found a few restaurants specializing in maultaschen. This traditional Swabian dish can be described as a meat and spinach-filled ravioli swimming in a broth. With a full belly and the sun going down, I retired as an early morning awaited.
For those new to my annual dispatches, this is the third year that I’ve traveled to Zuffenhausen to photograph all the cars in the museum. My motivation is that not everyone can go to the museum for one reason or another. So, I catalog what’s in the museum while enjoying Stuttgart - a city I’ve become very fond of.
As I’ve described in previous articles about the Porsche Museum, the layout is a counterclockwise circuit upwards. The bottom portion is the older cars, the middle tends to be racing cars, and the top portion is special exhibits. In an effort to reduce the number of
people in my photos, I arrive at the opening of the museum, go straight to the top, and work my way down. I do the opposite later in the day as the last few people make their way up I have few people in my frames.
This year, the big exhibit was 50 Years of Turbo. As you might expect, there were exhibits on the technology behind turbo as well as many cars famous for the technology. My favorite was the first 911 Turbo, which was given to Louise Piëch on her 75th birthday (see pictures in the look book) that follows this article.
Here is a link to the 2024 Porsche Museum Google Photo Album
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GDzEKXn5zqL4BkEc6
Too busy to go through the photo album? The following pages are a small look book of my trip.
FEATURED GALLERY
Musuem Look Book
Around the Musuem & More
photos by Henry Becker
Around
The Club
photos by Jim McKee & Ryan Boxler
November Events Photo Collection
Upcoming Events - A Closer Look
Saturday, December 7th
Linda’s Legacy & Kindertime Toy Drive
Tuesday, December
17th
Social Dinner @ Park
Tavern
This is a 3-in-1 event! Community Service, Tour, & Lunch Social!
We are collecting donations to sponsor backpacks to provide those in need in Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, and Baltimore with hats, mittens, scarves, thermal underwear and socks (see below for how to make a donation). Last year our region and its members sponsored over 200 backpacks! Lets make it 250 this year! The Chesapeake Region is kicking off the fundraiser by sponsoring 40 backpacks!
Afterwards we will be treated to a driving Tour through the back roads of Baltimore County followed by lunch at the Manor Tavern. Lunch seating will be reserved for the first 50 people who register for the lunch segment.
Get more info here.
Please mark your calendars for Tuesday night, December 17th, at 6:30pm at Park Tavern located in Severna Park, Anne Arundel County. The restaurant provides excellent service and food from their scratch kitchen and has an extensive beer selection including beers from the Oliver Brewing Company.
All participants must register for the dinner on www.MotorsportReg.com by December 14th. Seating is limited to 32 people (you will be placed on the wait list if the limit is met but may be contacted should anyone cancel and there is availability). There is no registration fee for this event.
Get more info here.
Social Sunday, January 19th
Guinness Opengate
Let’s welcome the new year together! Please mark your calendars for Saturday morning, January 11th, at 11:00am at Guinness Open Gate Brewery for some Irish food and drink. Check out the brewery’s menu here.
All participants must register for the brunch on www.MotorsportReg.com by January 16th.
There is no seating limit. There is no registration fee for this event.
WHEN and WHERE
When: January 18, 2025, Saturday Meeting time: 11am
Meeting point: Guinness Open Gate Brewery, 5001 Washington Blvd, Halethorpe 443-575-6893
End of social: 2:00pm
Wednesday, February 19th
LoonASea Social Dinner
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 6:30pm at LoonASea in Essex, MD. Located on the banks of Hopkins Creek, LoonAsea, is Maryland's newest casual waterfront restaurant, and the menu features staple favorites while also offering a selection of “totally different, seafood-based and local items”.
All participants will need register for the dinner on https://www.motorsportreg.com. Seating is limited to 60 people (you will be placed on the waitlist if the limit is met but may be contacted should anyone cancel and there is availability). There is no registration fee for this event.
Check out their menu here.
Save the Date
Annual Slot Cars Race and Chili
Cook-off Saturday, February 1, 2025
11 – 3pm
Millersville, Anne Arundel County
Socials Review
On Tuesday, November 12th, our monthly Dinner Social was held at Kecco’s Woodfire Kitchen in Reisterstown, Baltimore County. Kecco’s parking lot is used to launch several of our driving tours but this time we left the cars outside and joined our friends for dinner. We welcomed new members, Buddy and Abbey Goldman. The Italian fare was delicious and, as usual, great to catch up with what’s new with our members.
Upcoming events
The December Dinner Social will be held at Park Tavern in Severna Park, Anne Arundel County, on Tuesday, December 17. This will be the second time we have entertained our members at this venue and are looking forward to a fun evening. We quickly sold out the 32 spots reserved for our group. We are hoping to increase the reservation to accommodate our 13 members on the waitlist.
In place of the January Dinner Social is the annual After Holiday Party on Saturday, January 11th. We are returning to the Turn House restaurant in Ellicott City, Howard County for a fun night which concludes with a Yankee Swap gift exchange. Gifts are Porsche or automotive in nature ranging in artwork, automobile accessories, PCA gear, Porsche books, and other unique items. We currently have a waitlist.
We plan to return to Guinness Opengate Brewery for a Saturday lunch on January 18. You can register here.
On Saturday, February 1, we have a family event - the annual Super Slot Car Racing and Chili Cookoff. We are returning to Shipley’s Choice Clubhouse, Millersville, Anne Arundel County, for a fun afternoon with children, grandchildren and members competing with their 1/32 scale slot cars. More information can be found here. Registration is now open.
Rob Carter, our region’s Membership Chair, arranged for us to meet at LoonAsea Restaurant on Wednesday night, February 19, for our February Dinner Social. LoonAsea is a waterfront venue located in Essex, eastern Baltimore County, on Hopkins Creek off Middle River. Registration is open now – click here to register on Motorsportreg.
words & photos by Marsha Buss
Our March Dinner Social will be at Kelsey’s Irish pub in Ellicott City, Howard County, on Tuesday, March 25. We are assuming another sellout event since this restaurant is a member favorite to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (a little late). Please join us – you can register on motorsportreg.com.
Please remember you need to register on MotorsportReg.com. If after you have registered, you decide to not attend, please go back into MotorsportReg.com and cancel your reservation. As these events have been selling out, this will allow members on the waitlist to be confirmed.
Do you have restaurant recommendations or interesting ideas for Socials? Send us an email social@pcachs.org.
We’d love to hear from you!
Thanks, Steve & Marsha
Kecco’s Woodfire Kitchen, Reisterstown in Baltimore County
TOUR & RALLY
2024 Full Schedule (and results)
(1) - April 7 - Tour & Rally School by Steve Graham, Bob Rassa, Aniano Arao, 18 people, 12 cars
(2) - April 14 - Eastern Shore Tour, guest tour master Tom Divilio, 89 people, 49 cars
(3) - April 27 - Drive to Porsche Swap Meet in Carlisle, tour master Rich Ehrlich, 23 people, 15 cars
(4) - May 5 -Cinco de Mayo Poker Rally & Picnic, guest rally master Marsha Buss, canceled/rain
(5) - May 19 - Safeway to the Bay Tour & Charity, guest tour master Hank Lucas, 65 people, 35 cars
(6) - June 2 - Linganore Winecellars Tour - guest tour master Ron Farb, 63 people, 36 cars
(7) - June 23 - Mason-Dixon Line Tour - guest tour master Steve Graham, 39 people, 23 cars
(8) - July 7 - Solomons Island Run, Arundel and 3 other counties, guest tour master Steve Wood 7 Terrell Williams, 83 people, 49 cars
(9) - July 20 - Ice Cream Tour, guest tour master Mark Miller, 59 people, 31 cars
(10) - Aug 3 - Potomac-CHS Speed-Limit-Sign Rally, rally master Rich Ehrlich, 28 people, 14 cars (11) - Aug 17-18- West Virginia Bluegrass Tour, tour master Aniano Arao, 34 people, 19 cars
(12) - Aug 25 - Chesapeake-Potomac Off-Road Tour, guest tour master Jim Hemig, 43 people, 21 cars (13) - Sep 15 - Chesapeake Challenge 55 Gimmick Rally, rally master Rich Ehrlich, 62 people, 31 cars (14) - Sep 22 - Baltimore County Horse Country Tour, tour master Aniano Arao. CANCELLED (15) - Oct 13 - Passage to Bonkey’s Ice Cream Tour, by guest tour master Mark Miller, 45 people, 26 cars (16) - Oct 27 - West Virginia Fall Colors Tour, tour master Aniano Arao, 66 people, 44 cars (17) - Nov 3 -Shortest Distance Gimmick Rally, guest rally masters Craig & Linda Davidson, 19 people, 11 cars (18) - Dec 7 - Kindertime & Linda’s Legacy Tour, tour master Rich Ehrlich
Check www.pcachs.org, Porsche Patter, www.motorsportreg.com and the events’ e-Blasts for details and updates. Send questions to tour@pcachs.org. – Aniano Arao & Rich Ehrlich, Co-Chairs, Tour & Rally Committee
AUTOCROSS RECAP AX
words by Greg Hartke
Even though it‘s the off-season, there‘s still plenty to do here at Autocross Central, planning for the next season and getting equipment problems straightened out.
First things first, though. As always, the final standings for the Class championships were compiled immediately by AX Team member Phong Ngyuen after the last race of the 2024 season. As it turns out, there are 15 awards for 2024 to be given out for various 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in Classes with sufficient standing to warrant awards. (The number of awards for a given Class is determined by how many eligible entrants there were in the Class for the season.) The 2024 award winners are listed in the accompanying table.
Congratulations to all the winners! They will receive trophies for their performance at an upcoming event. It’s worth mentioning that though there are no trophies for the non-Porsche drivers, points were tabulated in the same way for the best PAX time among non-Porsche drivers at each event and the top drivers (Matt Huffman, Jordan Vu, and Sean Considine) are hereby recognized for their excellent performance throughout the season.
The 2024 racing season was certainly a good one. I felt that our 2024 schedule was again user-friendly with AX starting with the Test & Tune on the final Saturday of March and ending in mid-October with conditions that weren’t overly cold at AX#7. I was also happy with the great event spacing throughout the season this year. It’s hard to get through 9 events (AX School, Test & Tune, plus 7 races) without some rain, but 2024 was pretty good in that regard. The only substantial rain we had was for AX#1, and that wasn’t as bad as it might have been. (As the organizer for these events, it’s really funny to see the excess of cancellation for “mechanical problems” in the days leading up to a race on a rainy weekend. ;) ) Other than that, the weather really cooperated for us, though we did have one race on a really hot day during the summer. All in all, not too bad!
Attendance for 2024 was outstanding and many thanks to everyone for supporting us! We started the season with the registration capped for each race at 65, but we had so many drivers registering for our races that I changed the cap to 75 and frequently accepted around 80 or even more, relying on no-shows and last-minute cancellations to keep the numbers reasonable. That worked out well and with the great course designs all year from AX Co-chair Mark Hubley, we always managed to get the events done at a reasonable time while still providing a good number of runs for the racers.
Even before the end of the 2024 racing season, I knew 2025 was going to look very different. Last year about this time, I learned that Prince George’s Stadium (PGS, which is our racing venue) was going to have some significant construction being done in 2025 and that it might impact our racing operation. I had been waiting all season to find out the details and I did finally get some information via a backchannel late in the season.
What’s happening is that PGS is building new clubhouses for the baseball teams and (even more concerning) they will be permanently fencing off an area of the parking lot for player parking. Using the established backchannel, Mark and I met with the construction company Project Director to discuss how much of the lot area we were going to lose. Without going into details, the answer was certainly more than I’d like. We could manage with the reduction, but we were going to lose available course area down beyond the channels and (with the lot shape and design as it is) that’s the section of the lot where we have the most options for interesting course elements. Not the best.
All this needed to be verified by PGS management, so as soon as I had some idea of what was going on (early October), I emailed PGS management asking for the info I needed to manage the 2025 season. Keep in mind that at this point, I didn’t even know if the venue would be available to us for the 2025 season. As you can imagine, I needed to know quickly if PGS would be available to us for 2025 because (even in October) the window was closing on lining up a different venue.
Even before the end of the 2024 racing season, I knew 2025 was going to look very different. Last year about this time, I learned that Prince George’s Stadium (PGS, which is our racing venue) was going to have some significant construction being done in 2025 and that it might impact our racing operation. I had been waiting all season to find out the details and I did finally get some information via a backchannel late in the season.
What’s happening is that PGS is building new clubhouses for the baseball teams and (even more concerning) they will be permanently fencing off an area of the parking lot for player parking. Using the established backchannel, Mark and I met with the construction company Project Director to discuss how much of the lot area we were going to lose. Without going into details, the answer was certainly more than I’d like. We could manage with the reduction, but we were going to lose available course area down beyond the channels and (with the lot shape and design as it is) that’s the section of the lot where we have the most options for interesting course elements. Not the best.
All this needed to be verified by PGS management, so as soon as I had some idea of what was going on (early October), I emailed PGS management asking for the info I needed to manage the 2025 season. Keep in mind that at this point, I didn’t even know if the venue would be available to us for the 2025 season. As you can imagine, I needed to know quickly if PGS would be available to us for 2025 because (even in October) the window was closing on lining up a different venue.
PGS was very slow to respond, so I was off and running with “Plan B”. The result of all this is that we’ll do most of our racing at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen for the 2025 season. There are advantages. Big advantages, actually. The parking lot there is really large and very open, so it presents more options for fun course designs while being significantly safer than PGS. Site rental also comes with use of the bathrooms in the stadium, which is certainly nicer than renting and using a port-a-pot (which is surprisingly expensive). The only downside is that it’s a logistic nightmare.
For the 6 years that I’ve been running AX and moved the racing to PGS, Co-chair Mark Hubley has kept the equipment trailer at his farm, which is about 25 minutes south of PGS. For every race, Mark would bring the trailer to the venue on race morning, drive home and get his car, then drive back for the event. Towards the end of the event, he would drive back home, swap his car for the truck, bring the truck back to PGS, then at the end of the day take the truck and trailer back to the farm.
We did this dance for every race at PGS, but obviously we can’t do it for Ripken, which is something like two hours away from Mark’s farm. We have a plan, though. It turns out that there are storage facilities in the vicinity where we can rent space to store the trailer. Transporting the trailer on event day is problematic, but the solution at this point looks to be AX Team member Pinto Soin volunteering to park his (rarely used) truck at an associate’s property in Aberdeen. We haven’t worked out the exact details of how we’ll do the trailer shuttle on race morning, but the elements are there, so that’s the least of our worries at this point.
Anyone that liked racing at PGS is going to love racing at Ripken. There’s much more area available for racing and (as I said) it will be much safer because there are no channels to drive through as there are at PGS and with the wider area, there’s no reason to be close to the curbs. To see what I mean, examine the simple graphic I created.
I tried to make these outlines as closely as I could to the same scale. The red outline is the Ripken parking lot and the black outline is the familiar area we use at PGS. I’ll bet there’s nearly twice as much area at Ripken as there is at PGS and, importantly, the parking lot isn’t broken up into sections as it is at PGS.
I said we’ll do most of our racing at Ripken next year, but how much is “most”? The answer is that I’m expecting to have 7 of our events at Ripken and the other two at PGS. I’m awaiting contracts from Ripken at this time, but our preliminary schedule looks as if it will be
2025-03-22 Test & Tune (Ripken, Saturday
2025-04-12 AX School (Ripken, Saturday
2025-04-27 AX 1 (Ripken, Sunday
2025-05-17 AX 2 (Ripken, Saturday
2025-06-xx AX 3 TB
2025-07-xx AX 4 TB
2025-08-16 AX 5 (Ripken, Saturday
2025-0 -06 AX 6 (Ripken, Saturday
2025-10-18 AX 7 (Ripken, Saturday)
Until I get the contracts from Ripken (which should be very soon), I won’t be 100% sure of those dates, but I have no reason to think anything will change. As soon as I get those contracts, I’ll negotiate for dates with PGS. The Baysox can tell me what dates they have available at PGS, but they won’t know what dates the County wants, so I probably won’t know those for certain what dates we’ll have for AX 3 and AX 4 ‘til February. In the meantime, what you see above is our framework for next season.
For the inexperienced, those who want to sharpen their skills, and anyone who’s never AXed before but might be thinking about trying it, note that the AX School is held at the very beginning of the season. The rationale is that we want to provide instruction early in the season so that the students who attend will have all season to participate in full race events. With no prior experience, your first AX event can be a decidedly intimidating experience and the AX School will go a long way towards mitigating that. I did the AX School (with Potomac, actually) before I started racing and I still recall it well. Interestingly, I was really nervous ‘til I started driving, but once I got going, I quickly calmed down.
I’ve said this before: If you’ve ever had an itch to see what your car can do when pushed to its handling limits, AX is a wonderful opportunity to do so and the AX School provides a golden opportunity to learn and practice important elements of the necessary driving skills before taking them out on a full course. Whether or not you actually decide to pursue AX on a regular basis is immaterial. Either way, the AX School is a unique opportunity to learn car control and open your eyes to a whole new world of driving excitement. Happy holidays to everyone and I’ll look forward to seeing you next year at the races!
Greg Hartke CHS AX Chair
words by Steve Buss
I am saddened to inform you that Skip Conrey, a dear friend of the PCA Chesapeake Region passed away on November 16th at the age of 80. Skip was always generous and accommodating to the Club and offered his historic farm in Marriottsville for many PCA events. He was a lifelong resident of Howard County. Best known for his Home Improvement Company, Conrey Construction, Skip was also an entrepreneur most notably developing golf club and tennis raquet patents designed to improve player performance. Here is a link to his obituary.
https://www.haightfuneralhome.com/obituaries/ Richard-N-Conrey/#!/TributeWall
Sone Chesapeake Cars on Skip’s Farm
STUTTGART MARKET LETTER
So far, the theme for 2024 has been Dollar Volume and Unit Volume up, Sell-Through Rate down, as more cars have hit the market this year, but just haven’t been selling. Well, November took quite the U-turn with our first year-over-year Sell-Through Rate (STR) increase in quite some time, despite Dollar and Unit Volumes declining, with 69% of the 537 cars on offer selling for a total of $36,536,798. But what’s really interesting, is the fact that the STR increased not because sellers set more realistic reserves, but because bids appear to be rebounding.
Take for instance the 356 market, one that has been struggling over the past few months. In 2024, only one 356B T5 Cabriolet had sold above the $140,000 mark whereas last year, we had four. But this month, a beautiful Bali Blue example brought an impressive $177,800, marking a significant above-average sale. We also saw a standard, run-of-the-mill 1965 356C hammer at a final bid of $118,000, $25,000 over the twelve-month average.
Porsche’s 356-powered 912 also saw gains over previous months with three SWB Coupes all selling for a good clip over the $48,000 average. Leading the pack was a one-owner 1965 912 finished in Signal Red over Black that had been driven approximately 325,000 miles and included service records dating back to the 1960s. This gem sold at a final bid of $82,000. But that price was eclipsed, and rightfully so, by a 1968 Soft- Window Targa at $95,500. Finished in Irish Green over Black, this 912 Targa had remained with its original owner up until 2023, when it was acquired by the seller.
911SCs also looked up this month after a year of slowing with two strong examples bringing exceptional bids. A 117,000-mile 1978 Coupe finished in Mocha Black with a Cork leather and Tartan cloth interior hammered at the second highest price we’ve seen all year at $105,000. This was despite some noted paintwork and an updated rear decklid with whaletail spoiler. Also jumping averages was a Black on Gray 92,000-mile Weissach Edition that brought $70,000 even though it had its issues as well.
But although many markets started to show signs of a bit of a rebound, some newer cars continued their slide, with GT4 RS’ leading the way as only one of the three cars on offer found a home at a sub-$200,000 bid of $191,000, which is the second lowest price we’ve seen for an example here in the US thus far. On the new 911 side of the market, 992 GT3 RS’ also fared poorly with both cars on offer failing to sell at bids of $310,000 and $392,000. It looks like the days of a GT3 RS selling for over $400,000 are behind us unless it’s a 1-of-150 Carrera RS Tribute Package car.
At the tippy-top of the market, we had a mixed bag of sorts. On one hand, we had a 170-mile 918 Spyder with Weissach Package sell at $2,690,000 all-in, which is a little light compared to a 457-mile example that sold for $2,865,000 back in April, and this month’s car was in a much better spec, in my opinion. And then there was the 267-mile 2005 Carrera GT that sold for $2,025,000 all-in, a price we haven’t seen since March of 2022.
It will be interesting to see how the year ends here in December. So far, all signs point to a continuation of November, but then again, I’m writing this only three days into the month. If it does, what does that mean for the spring market Things could be heating back up.
David K. Whitlock is a writer for The Stuttgart Market Letter, a daily market update for Porschephiles, by Porschephiles, delivered free to your inbox. To sign up, visit: www.stuttgartmarketletter.com
PCA Plates & Badges
What are PCA License Plates
Chesapeake Region PCA coordinates the purchase of PCA Organizational License Plates issued through the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). The PCA License Plate Program promotes the visibility and camaraderie of PCA. PCA Maryland License Plates are prenumbered Organizational Plates, not vanity plates. PCA License Plates are available for all cars, trucks and minivans, but not for motorcycles or trailers.
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Get a heavy “gold- plated” Chesapeake Region metal car badge. Each metal car badge comes complete with stainless steel slotted retaining plate, screws, washers and nuts to mount it through your car grille or separate mounting plate.
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The Duck Tail on a prime example of the RS at the Zuffenhausen Porsche Museum in November, 2024.