PorschePatter
Content Contributions
Henry L. Becker, Jr. Marsha Buss Aniano Arao Steve Buss Greg Hartke Rich Ehrlich
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 a new year and lots of new things are happening. Since Chesapeake is fueled by volunteers, we have lots of people coming and going.
You will notice many new faces and names assuming roles on the board and in chair positions. Thanks to all of you that step up and give your valuable time.
As for the brand we all know and love, Porsche had a great 2024 on the track and plenty of exciting things
were happening off the track. It’s exciting to see the advancements in hybrid technologies, alternative fuels and other places Porsche are putting resources.
But, I love that the brand puts so much effort in heritage. The history of the company is genuinely fascinating. All of us that are driving around pieces of that history are stewards.
I know we all have different ways and sources for keeping up with the brand. Personally, I’m a reader and spend considerable time on the Porsche Newsroom site, read Christophorus cover to cover and subscribe to many Porsche periodicals.
No matter how you do it, here is to keeping up with exciting times with the brand we all enjoy being part of.
Prost, Henry
CLUB LEADERSHIP
P
PRESIDENT 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
Open comunityservice@pcachs.org
Concours
Paul Koenigsmark, Phil Andrews Dan Zadra concours@pcachs.org
Chesapeake Chlng
Kristen Allen chesapeakechallenge@pcachs.org
VICE PRESIDENT
Mar k Miller vicepresident@pcachs.org
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 Open 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
Jim Orrell photography@pcachs.org
Publicity
James Beavan III publicity@pcachs.org
Saf ety
John Jensen safety@pcachs.org
Social
Stephanie Reuer and Randy Bruscup social@pcachs.org
Sunshine
Doug Ehmann sunshine@pcachs.org
Webmaster
Mark Richburg webmaster@pcachs.org
Tour & Rally
Rich Ehrlich tour@pcachs.org rally@pcachs.org
Tech
Jim Earlbeck / Randall Richter Rick Hawver tech@pcachs.org
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Greetings Everyone,
The Board and I wish all Members a very happy and healthy New Year. As I complete my first year as President, I am grateful for all the members and volunteers support. Your enthusiasm, leadership, and commitment has enabled the Chesapeake Region to remain healthy and grow. 2025 is gearing up to be a fun filled, action packed year.
Here is a summary of 2024 by the numbers. 60 events filled the calendar, highlighted by 3,904 member registrations. Tours led with 912 attendees. Autocross came in a close second with 890 and in third was Social with 858. We had a terrific year and I’m grateful for all the Committees leadership to make these events happen for the members. The 2025 calendar is continuing to evolve, so make sure you check it out in The Patter or on the Website.
Thanks to Porsche Hunt Valley and all the volunteers, led by Dan McNally, who made our last Community Service event of the year a resounding success for the Linda’s Legacy and Kindertime charities. Unfortunately, this would be Dan’s last event as he is stepping down as Community Service Chair. Thanks, Dan, for your leadership and involvement with our Community Service activities. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for volunteering for this essential role and doing an outstanding job. We donated over $2500 to Linda’s Legacy and I couldn’t even begin to count all the presents donated to Kindertime.
The sold out After Holiday Party will again ring in the New Year with food and drink and a wild and boisterous Yankee Swap, led by The Bob and Manny Show. This event is sponsored by Porsche Owings Mills.
Join us as we welcome in the New Year at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery on January 18th beginning at 11am. Also, the Social Breakfasts at Eggcellence in Annapolis have restarted on the first (or second) Saturday of the month. Our Social Dinner in February is at the LoonAsea Restaurant on the water in Essex. The March Social Dinner will be our annual After St Patrick’s Day event at Kelsey’s Irish Pub on March 25th. A very special welcome and thank you to Stephanie Reuer and Randy Bruscup for volunteering to chair the Social
Committee. It has been an easy transition and I’m sure they will do a fine job. Suggestions or recommendations, email social@pcachs.org.
Thanks to Dan Zadra for organizing the family Super Slot Car Racing and Chili Cook-off event. This will be held on February 1st at the Shipley’s Choice Community Clubhouse in Millersville.
Upcoming National events include Tech Tactics East, a day dedicated to Porsche Technical information, held on February 23. The Treffen Homestead registration will open on February 5th at 3pm. Phase 2 opens on February 12th at 3pm. 69th Porsche Parade Oklahoma City registration opens on April 5th at 12:00 noon. Registration is still open for the Treffen at Sea 2025 PCA 70th Anniversary Cruise leaving out of NYC on August 30th. Over 800 PCA members are registered and just announced, the Temptations will be joining us. This year’s PCA Open House is September 13, celebrating PCA’s 70th anniversary, registration opens July 23 at noon.
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, please email president@pcachs.org.
Cheers to the New Year! May it be filled with much happiness and good health.
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
Steve Buss
President Chesapeake Region, PCA
UPCOMING EVENTS
PROST!
Anniversaries by: Rob Carter
45 Years
Bruce and Laurie G. Tarsia
25 Years
Donald and Julie Lundblad
20 Years
Charles Goldsborough
15 Years
Steve and Debbie Rowlands
10 Years
Chris and Ashley Mason
It’s not just the cars, it’s the people.
John Bunch and Jennifer Shannahan
Gene Lugat
Takesha Brown
Jay Chason
Barron Chiu and Megumi Sun
Alexis Coates
Monique Flament
Finn Gorman
Peter Gost
Tory Graham
Kevin Herrett
Josh White
Brad Kappel
Jack Powers
David Robertson
*** 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
Rosalyn Hunt 2024 Macan S
Bret A. Barrow & Evan Ruch 1985 911 Carrera
Derek Bailey & Leeann Bailey 2024 Macan GTS
Patrick J. O’Brien 2024 Macan S
James L. Scott 2022 Panamera 4
John J. Jay 2020 911 Carrera 4
Cecily1992Christian 968
David Edwards 2015 911 Targa 4S
Jackie Linaberry 2025 Cayenne E-Hybrid
Gary Marino & Steven Marino 2022 911 GT3
Brent & Kelly Seward 1986 928S Bailey
Kevin A. Timmons & David Purdie 2023 Cayenne Coupe
MEMBER NUMBERS
by: Rob Carter
FEATURED STORY
2024 Tour & Rally Look Back
A great year ...
PCA Chesapeake’s Tour & Rally Committee planned 18 events in 2024. But one event had to be canceled because of inclement weather, while another had to be dropped to clear the calendar for the 55th Chesapeake Challenge. So we actually held 16 events last year, though we numbered them up to 18 in the schedule to avoid confusion.
I usually try to organize a workshop on tour planning and rally participation every year. In 2024, the Tour and TSD Rally School (1) on April 7 was our first event. I handled the tour portion, former Tour & Rally chair Steve Graham handled the gimmick rally session, while club historian and former PCA Chesapeake president Bob Rassa took care of the TSD rally class. The classroom sessions were all held
in the morning. In the afternoon, an introductory TSD rally gave 12 of Bob’s 15 students a chance to put into practice what they had learned from him. The rally was won by Hansel Buckingham and Carolyn Bernota, on the left in the photo above, in Hansel’s burnt orange Ford Probe. Bill Kearney and son Will came in second in Bill’s Sapphire Blue 2018 911 Targa, while Rich & Kris Townsend finished third in Rich’s white Tesla Model Y. The event was attended by 18 people in 12 cars. Skip Conrey of Conrey Construction kindly hosted us at his lovely Valhalla Farm in Marriottsville, MD. Our lunch was at the nearby Facci Ristorante in Ellicott City.
The Eastern Shore Tour (2) was our second driving event in 2024. The April 14 drive was conceived, planned and led by guest tour master Tom Divilio and his better half, Lisa Gritti.
photos used by Aniano Arao words by Aniano Arao
This morning event took us on some of the most enjoyable backroads around Easton, Oxford, Trappe and Cambridge. A total of 89 people in 49 cars took part. We started from the Easton Club community in Easton, MD, and concluded the tour with lunch at RAR Brewing in Cambridge.
Next on the schedule was the Drive to the Porsche Swap Meet (3) in Carlisle, PA, on April 27. The 2024 edition of this annual drive was led by Rich Ehrlich, my fellow tour co-chair. It was attended by 23 people in 15 cars.
Many club members and their families signed up for and looked forward to the Cinco de Mayo Poker Rally & Picnic (4) scheduled for May 5. But guest rally master Marsha Buss had to cancel the event because of inclement weather.
The ever-popular Safeway to the Bay Tour (5) was held for the fourth consecutive year on May 19. Conceived, planned and led by guest tour master Hank Lucas and his better half, Ellen, this afternoon tour took 65 participants in 35 cars on the best and most scenic backroads in Anne Arundel and Calvert counties. The two-hour route started from and ended at a shoppingcenter parking lot in Annapolis.
Two weeks later, on June 2, guest tour master and former PCA Chesapeake president Ron Farb provided 63 people in 36 cars an enjoyable drive around Howard and Frederick counties during his always well- attended Linganore Winecellars Tour (6). The route started from a shopping-center parking lot in Ellicott City and ended at the winery in Frederick County, where the tour participants enjoyed a picnic lunch.
Our next driving event was the June 23 Mason-Dixon Line Tour (7) of guest tour master and former PCA Chesapeake executive vice president Steve Graham. This 90-minute scenic drive took 39 people in 23 cars from Sparks Glencoe, MD, to Wyndridge Farm in Dallastown, PA, where we all had a wonderful lunch.
The July 7 Solomons Island Run (8) of guest tour masters Steve Wood and Terrell Williams was our second most popular driving event in 2024. This Anne Arundel County and Calvert County tour attracted 83 people in 49 cars. Steve is a former PCA Chesapeake vice president, while Terrell is the club’s slot-carracing czar.
An ice cream tour, the July 20 Misty Meadow Meander (9) of guest tour master and PCA Chesapeake Vice President Mark Miller pulled in a solid turnout. A total of 59 people in 31 cars couldn’t resist the idea of having delicious ice cream on a hot summer day. The tour began from Reisterstown and ended up at the Misty Meadow Farm Creamery in Smithsburg, MD.
The Aug. 3 Speed-Limit-Sign Rally (10) was a joint endeavor of PCA’s Potomac and Chesapeake regions. Developed by Emely Winnert of PCA Potomac, this rally was hosted by Rich Ehrlich, my fellow Tour & Rally cochair. It drew the enthusiastic participation of 28 people in 14 cars. The 80-mile route started from Porsche Hunt Valley in Cockeysville and concluded at the Inverness Brewery in Monkton, where the attendees had lunch. Dave Schenck and daughter Lizzie won the rally in a 1987 911 Targa. PCA Chesapeake Membership Chair Rob Carter and daughter Allison came in second in a 2009 911 Cabriolet. Jonathan Mester and navigator Eric Krueger finished third in a 2014 Cayman S.
The Aug. 17-18 West Virginia Bluegrass Tour (11) was PCA Chesapeake’s first multiday driving event since our pre-pandemic 2019 West Virginia Grand Tour. Conceived, planned and led by yours truly, this escapade attracted the participation of 34 people in 19 cars. Day One started in Middletown, MD, proceeded to our lunch destination in Berkeley Springs, WV, then headed to our overnight accommodations at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, WV. But before calling it a night, we enjoyed an outdoor dinner and a Bluegrass Concert at the nearby Annamede Farm of PCA member and Ralph’s Auto Service co-owner Chuck Goldsborough. Day Two took participants on a three-hour loop from the resort to Valley Head, to Mill Creek and back to Stonewall, for lunch. Most people headed home afterwards, via Winchester, VA. A few remained for a second night at the resort.
On Aug. 25, the year’s second Chesapeake-Potomac driving event was held. This time, it was guest tour master Jim Hemig’s off-road tour called Return to the ’Shed (12). A total of 43 people from both PCA regions took part in 21 SUVs.
The Chesapeake Challenge Gimmick Rally (13) came next on Sept. 15. It was planned and organized by Rich Ehrlich, my fellow Tour & Rally co-chair. One of three major Challenge events – the others being a concours and a tech quiz – the rally drew a strong field of 62 competitors in 31 cars. Driver Ellen Beck and navigator Roxanne Alban won the rally, followed by PCA Chesapeake Treasurer Andy Powell and navigator Steve Jackson in second place, and by former PCA Chesapeake president David Dukehart and navigator Atena Rosak in third place. David and Atena had won this event in previous years.
I had planned to hold my Baltimore County Horse Country Tour (14) on Sept. 22. But since that date was only a week after the Chesapeake Challenge Gimmick Rally, I decided to cancel the event to give club members a break from our hectic schedule.
Guest tour master Mark Miller hosted a second ice cream tour on Oct. 13, the Passage to Bonkey’s (15). The cooler fall weather did not diminish club members’ appetite for something cold and delicious, with 45 people showing up in 26 cars. Everyone enjoyed their frozen treats at the creamery in Whiteford, MD.
My West Virginia Fall Colors Tour (16) on Oct. 27 attracted 66 people in 44 cars. We drove for about 75 minutes from Middletown, MD, to Berkeley Springs, WV, where our pre-ordered lunch was waiting for us. After consuming our hearty lunch, we drove for 90 minutes in a loop from Berkeley Springs to the Paw Paw area, and then back to our lunch venue. The backroads we used were delightfully twisty, enjoyably scenic and mostly free of traffic. And the fall colors were at peak or near peak in many places. By about 2:30 PM, the tour was over and the participants headed home or did some more driving on West Virginia’s wonderful backroads and mountain roads.
Scheduled slightly beyond the usual fun-driving season, the Nov. 3 Shortest-Distance Gimmick Rally attracted 19 people in 11 cars. It was designed and hosted by guest rally masters Craig and Linda Davidson, who had recently stepped down as PCA Potomac’s rally masters after 13 years of service. Naturally, as the event organizers, the Davidsons and I did not join the competition. The other 16 attendees did, in 8 cars. The event started and concluded at the lovely clubhouse of the Davidsons’ community in Urbana, MD. Valerie Moritz and navigator Lori Brady won the rally in Valerie’s 2018 Macan. Ron Farb and navigator James Beavan III came in second in Ron’s 2011 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, while Glenn Cowan and navigator Kathy Cowan finished third in Glenn’s 2020 911 Carrera S.
PCA Chesapeake’s annual Kindertime and Linda’s Legacy Charity Tour – in support of the campaigns to collect toys for Baltimore’s disadvantaged children and winter necessities for the city’s homeless – was our 18th and final event of 2024. The Dec. 7 charity gathering was hosted by Porsche Hunt Valley and its general manager, Steve Postol. Afterwards, 44 event attendees in 27 cars joined a driving tour and lunch at Manor Tavern, both of which were planned and organized by Rich Ehrlich, my fellow Tour & Rally cochair.
Not counting the two events that were canceled, our 16 driving tours and rallies in 2024 attracted 780 attendees and 443 cars. I chaired seven of the events, while Rich chaired the other nine.
This retrospective roundup of the past year’s driving events is my last. After nine years as a Tour & Rally cochair of PCA’s Chesapeake Region, I have decided to step down at the end of 2024. I have wanted to do this since my then-fellow co-chair Randy Moss stepped away at the end of 2021, three years ago. But I didn’t want to leave the club in the lurch by following Randy’s footsteps right away.
In early 2022, I recommended Rich Ehrlich as Randy’s successor and, as it turned out, then-President Ron Farb also had Rich in mind to fill that opening. So Rich became my new fellow co-chair.
My next step was to find my own successor. Unfortunately, by the end of 2023, I still had not found anyone who was interested, willing and ready to come forward. As 2024 began, I made the decision to finally step down at the end of the year, regardless of whether there was anyone who would be ready to take my place.
Since the start of my tenure in 2016, the Tour & Rally Committee created and offered our members 111 tours and rallies, including those hosted by the guest tour masters and guest rally masters whom I had recruited. I designed 68 and chaired 92 of the events. Now the time has come for me to step away and spend more of my time on my personal travels and other interests, which had been relegated to the back seat in recent years. With my position vacant, perhaps somebody will come forward soon and join Rich as his Tour & Rally co-chair.
My thanks go to all the club members who took part in our driving events during the past nine years, especially to those who volunteered to serve as guest tour masters, guest rally masters, group lead drivers, group lead navigators and group sweepers.
Last but not least, I also wish to express my appreciation of and gratitude for Skip Conrey’s kindness, hospitality and generosity in welcoming us and hosting several of our events at his wonderful Valhalla Farm in Marriottsville over the years – most recently our Tour & TSD Rally School on April 7, 2024. Skip passed away on Nov. 16 at age 79.
2024 Tour & Rally Photo Collection
by Rich Ehrlich
Shortest Distance Gimmick Rally Review
One of the key components of the Chesapeake Challenge is the Gimmick Rally. As the premiere event of the region, the pressure was on me to come up with a great rally. Since Chesapeake Challenge Committee found Circle D Farm to host the event, I was fortunate to have some great roads to work with. We have done several tours through the general area, so I already had a good feel for the roads.
Using the Scenic App, I came up with a route that looked like a good drive. There was only one issue with it, which was it lacked anything good to use for gimmicks. Knowing that we would be driving in an area with many historic markers, I modified the route to stop at four markers in the general area of Circle D. While Scenic gave me a good route, I figured it was more important to ensure that signs would work for the gimmick.
One of the early ideas was to have the rally teams visit an alpaca farm, but a visit to the location quickly demonstrated that was not viable. While I was driving to one of the other locations from, the farm, I drove by BOLDER 144 on Old Fredrick Road. I noticed that it had a historic marker sign, I made a U-turn to look at it.
I then had the idea to send the rally teams to several historic locations, but they needed to all be a reasonable distance from the farm. Working some Google magic, I came up with a list that I ultimately narrowed to nine locations. Did you know that the International Latitude Observatory is in Gaithersburg? Or, about the Historic Ellicott City Colored School? Perhaps the best find was the Terra Maria Ruins in Ellicott City. This building is the remains of St. Charles College that burned in 1911 and is now owned and maintained by the local community. Some of the other locations were state and county parks in the area as well as other historic locations. I have included a full list at the end of this article.
For this gimmick rally, teams had to select between three and six locations. At each location, there were a list of tasks for them to perform. Each of those tasks was worth a certain number of points, and the team with the most points won. Some of those tasks were a little tricky, and more than a few teams photographed the wrong “No Pets in Water” sign. But, in the spirit of an old gameshow, I also offered bonus points based upon which car you drove, if you were able to get some cool random photos, and a few bonus questions that required people to be observant at the different stops.
After a great picnic lunch, I distributed the rally books to the teams. After the participant’s meeting, all the teams were given three hours to plan their route and complete the rally.
The main reason I tracked the time teams started driving and their odometers is that the tie breaker I planned to use was the average speed of the team compared to our regular tour average speed. For the record, our driving tours average 37 mph. As a bonus, while the rally was running, I got to watch Steve Wood load the Carrera GT into his trailer. Let me just say it was an incredible process to watch, with Steve making it look like it was easy.
Now, it may not have seemed like it, but I was worried the whole time the rally was running. I was pretty sure my idea was going to work, but I wouldn’t know for sure until people came back. I managed to convince a few of my co-workers to tabletop the rally for me using Google Maps. Based on their results, I expected most teams to take about two to two and a half hours.
The first team came back in about 90 minutes, and I had a few more teams dribble into the finish line over the next hour, but the early feedback was that they had fun. Then the finishing deluge came in as almost all the teams came in over last thirty minutes. Because I was so frantically scoring the teams, I never got a chance to ask people to send me their photos and many of the rally teams got some great photos. One of the lessons I learned is that I must train at least one other person to score the rally, don’t worry, I have more lessons I learned to share with you all.
After scoring the sheets and figuring out the winners, it was time to make the announcements. What most people did not know, is that there was a competition within the competition, as Manny Alban and Bob Gutjhar were one rally team and Ellen Beck and Roxanne Alban were another and both teams were going for the glory or at least trying to beat the other team.
So, the winners of the Choose Your Own Adventure Gimmick Rally for Chesapeake Challenge 55 are:
Third Place: David Dukehart and Atena Rosak Second Place: Andy Powell and Steve Jackson First Place: Ellen Beck and Roxanne Alban
I want to congratulate the winners again and thank everyone that participated in the rally. I am very glad you all enjoyed it. Wait, you want to know where Manny and Bob finished? Well, let’s just say they were not in the top three.
I also want to thank all the rally participants that donated to the Caboose Visitor Center, the Historic Ellicott City Colored School, and Pautxent River State Park. I know all those organizations greatly appreciated your donations.
So, what else did I learn? Besides having another scorer, I will also give fewer stops, as several people mentioned that they had to rush their plan to make it to all the stops. In the next rally, there will be few, if any fill in answers as most of them can be Googled, which defeats part of the purpose of the tasks. So, everything will be photographs. I also noticed a few technical issues with the rally book that I will avoid in the future. While I will not reveal the precise amount of flex time, I will also make it clear that there is a margin of error at the finish line. This way, someone does not have to panic if they will be a few minutes past the end.
With all that said, I appreciate all the constructive feedback I’ve received related to all the tours and rallies. If you have any feedback for anything related to my tours or rallies, please feel free to email me at tour@pcachs.org. I am also happy to send you the file of the rally book for this rally if you wish. The list of locations we visited are provided below:
These are the locations for the Gimmick Rally. Other than the historic sign at Dunkin’, I had no idea any of these places even existed until I started planning this rally. I do encourage you all to pay a visit to these locations.
BOLDER 144 food/drink (Poplar Springs historical sign) 17004 Old Frederick Rd, Mt Airy, MD 21771
Caboose Visitor Center- 2 N Main St, Mt Airy, MD 21771 (Note that there are several public parking lots nearby)
Davis Mill Ruins ~21500 Davis Mill Rd, Germantown, MD 20876 (At the intersection of Davis Mill Rd and Huntmaster Rd) Note this location has limited parking
Dunkin’ (Robert’s Inn historical sign) 14600 Frederick Rd, Cooksville, MD 21723 Historic Ellicott City Colored School 8683 Frederick Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21043
International Latitude Observatory 100 Desellum Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
Patuxent River State Park 23222 Georgia Ave, Brookville, MD 20833 Unpaved parking lot
Terra Maria Ruins 3160 St Charles Pl, Ellicott City, MD 21042 Please be respectful of the neighborhood
Warfields Pond Park 14523 MacClintock Dr, Glenwood, MD 21738
Here are a few photos, please feel free to use as few or as many as you want. If you want, I can send you the rally book as well. It’s 12 pages long. Just let me know.
Upcoming Events - A Closer Look
Sunday, January 19th
Guinness Opengate
Social
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
Saturday, February 1st
Slot Car Race
Super Slot Car Racing 2025 promises to be more exciting than ever. One of our Region’s winter family traditions and a fixture on our winter calendar for over 30 years, this family event is scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon from 11am - 3 PM, February 1st in Millersville, Anne Arundel County.
And there is a bonus! The famous Chili Cook-off is not to be missed and will be some of the tastiest chili you’ve ever had. Perhaps greater bragging rights will go to the winner of our Chili Cook-off. Bring a pot of your best chili and taste the competition’s for a grand tasting event.
Get more info here.
Saturday, February 8th
Social Breakfast @
Eggcellence
Wednesday, February 19th
LoonASea Social Dinner
Come out and join your fellow PCAers for a morning of fun in Annapolis. We’ll meet Saturday morning, February 8th, at 8am in Annapolis. Eggcellence Brunchery features comfort food for breakfast including waffles, pancakes, build your own omelettes, benedicts and more.
Check out their menu here.
All participants must register for the breakfast on www.MotorsportReg.com by February 6th. Seating is limited to 30 people. There is no registration fee for this event.
Get more info here.
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
Happy New Year! We are thrilled so many of our members enjoy coming to our monthly socials. We believe the opportunities to spend a couple of hours each month with both old and new members have greatly enhanced our feeling of community.
We have already planned socials through March and will transition the chairmanship to Stephanie Reuer. Stephanie and her husband, Randy Bruscup, have been active members of the club since 2022.
Our December social was held at Park Tavern in Severna Park, Anne Arundel County, on Tuesday, December 17. We were able to increase our reservation and successfully accommodated everyone on the waitlist. It was great night to say holiday cheers to our friends.
Upcoming events
We are having social breakfasts at Eggcellence Brunchery in Annapolis on January 4, February 8 and March 8. We currently have a waitlist for the January breakfast but there are plenty of spots open for the February breakfast. You can register here for the February breakfast and here for the March Breakfast.
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 are returning to Guinness Opengate Brewery for a Saturday lunch on January 18. You can register here. The Brewery does not take reservations and will seat us as we arrive. There are plenty of spots open for this event.
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
words & photos by Marsha Buss
children, grandchildren and members competing with their 1/32 scale slot cars. More information and registration can be found here. Registration closes on January 19th.
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.
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
TOUR & RALLY
The Chesapeake Region Tour and Rally Committee will be hosting many events this year, including some old favorites and some brand-new tours. Registration will open several weeks in advance and will be announced via email, www.pcachs.org, The Porsche Patter, and www.motorsportreg.com.
(1) - March 23 Travel Back to Baltimore Horse Country
(2) - April 5 Tour Lead, Sweep, and Development Academy at Porsche Silver Spring (3) - May 3 Drive to the Porsche Swap Meet (4) - May 10 Safeway to the Bay, Guest Tour Master Hank Lucas (5) - May 18 Poker Rally, Guest Tour master Marsha Buss (6) - June 1 Just Retired, Let’s Drive Route 26 (7) - June 22 Baltimore County Tour, Guest Tour master Steve Graham (8) - July 20 Tour by Guest Tour master Craig and Linda Davidson (9) - July 26 Pending (10) - Aug 9 Wings, Wags, and Wheels, in Cambridge, MD, Guest Tour master Tom Divillo (11) - Aug 24 Off-Road Tour, Guest Tour master Jim Hemig (12) - Sept 14 Pending (13) - Sept 27 Chesapeake Challenge 56 Gimmick Rally (14) - Oct 11 Allegheny Mountains Fall Colors, Guest Tour master Ron Farb (15) - Nov 8 Pending (16 - )Dec 6 Kindertime/Linda’s Legacy
Send questions to tour@pcachs.org. – Rich Ehrlich Tour & Rally
The 2025 tour and rally season is fast approaching which means a chance to drive some of our popular tours, such as Hank Lucas’ always popular Safeway to the Bay tour, as well as some all-new tours and rallies. Among our exciting new events is a drive to Cambridge, Maryland for the Wings, Wags, and Wheels event that is being planned by our own Tom Divillo. We will also pay a visit to Route 26 and the Allegheny Mountains in June to commemorate my retirement from more than 25 years of government service.
On April 5, 2025, the Tour & Rally Committee will be running a Tour Development Academy, hosted by Porsche-Silver Spring. In this Academy, you will learn how to safely lead and sweep a tour. And everyone will get a chance to practice their new skills. We will also discuss how to develop a new tour route. Keep an eye out for the full announcement coming soon.
For something new in 2025, I plan to introduce some “bonus” events and host a mid-week tour in addition to our regular weekend events. These bonus events may be an old favorite from the archives, or another opportunity to drive a popular event.
As many of you may know, Aniano Arao is retiring from his position as the Tour & Rally Committee
2025 UPDATE
words by Rich Ehrlich
Co-Chair at the end of December 2024. Aniano has built an excellent Tour program, which I am honored to carry forward into the future.
To continue to deliver excellent tours, the committee needs you! We need at least one more Co-Chair for the committee, as well as people interested in being guest tour masters. And we can always use more lead drivers and sweepers. Please contact me if this is something you are interested in.
So, if you are interested in being a Tour & Rally Committee Co-Chair, or if you have any questions, please email me at tour@pcachs.org.
See you on the road in 2025.
Rich Ehrlich Tour & Rally Co-Chair PCA Chesapeake
AUTOCROSS 2024 AX
words by Greg Hartke
Even though it’s the off-season for autocross, there’s still business to attend to. Last month I mentioned that trophies would be awarded to the various 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in Classes with sufficient standing to warrant awards. For a number of years, the awards were given out at the After-Holiday Dinner. That was fun, but really seemed a bit out of place, so for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the awards were given out at the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. That was better, but still not quite right, though I really didn’t see any option.
For the 2024 season, CHS PCA President Steve Buss had a better idea. At a Board of Directors meeting near the end of the racing season, Steve suggested we hold an autocross pizza social at which I could give out the awards. What a great idea! Free pizza (paid for by the proceeds from the AX season) and socializing with all your racing buddies – it doesn’t get much better than that! In the end, we had our Autocross Social at La Posta in Severna Park on Saturday, December 14th. This was arranged a bit late to expect a large turnout and scheduling it between Thanksgiving and Christmas was far from the best, but we did have about 30 folks show up.
I’m happy to say we had Chesapeake PCA members, Potomac PCA members, as well as nonPCA members in attendance. I was worried how this event would go, but it was actually a lot of fun – much more so than I expected. It’s always tough to tell when you’re the organizer, but those that were able to make it certainly seemed to have a good time. Many thanks to President Steve for a great idea and for taking care of arranging the venue for us! This was a great way to give out the awards and we’ll be doing it this way in the future, but we’ll do a better job hereafter of scheduling it in advance and on a better date (viz., early November, right after the end of the racing season).
I included the names of the class winners last month, but I’ll repeat them this month with the names of those on-hand to receive their awards in red and with accompanying pictures.
Many of those who couldn’t attend sent regrets that they already had plans, though there was also the case of Michael Press. Poor Michael! He was looking forward to attending, but was hit by a car while out cycling a few days before the event. He dislocated his shoulder and with his right arm immobilized, he was unable to use the shifter on the new car that he planned to drive to the event. Yes, sir, I’m not going to completely spill the beans, but Michael certainly won’t be in S3 next year and (he sent me pics) I think you’ll find his new steed will really stand out in the crowd. ;
Of considerable interest to autocrossers, 2025 is the year that the next Snell helmet standard will be released. I checked with the Snell oundation who said
Certification testing to SA2025 will begin once a final version of the standard is completed April 1, 2025 – The Snell office will begin to ship stocks of SA2025 certification labels to certified manufacturers who request them. However, SA2025 labeled helmets may not be made available for sale until the Standard takes effect October 1, 2025 – Snell SA2025 will take effect, the first SA2025 labeled helmets may be advertised, displayed, and sold as of this date. There should be no SA2025 labeled headgear or claims for such until this date.
June 30, 2025 – Shipments of SA2020 certification labels will cease. Production of SA2020 labeled helmets may continue through March of 2026
March 31, 2026 – production and shipping of SA2020 labeled units must cease.
Since it looks as if the SA2025 standard will not take effect until 10/1/2025 and helmets certainly won’t be available ‘til well after that date, I contacted the PCA National AX Chair (Paul Kudra) for guidance for 2025. Paul's response was:
The “Snell delay seems to happen with every new Snell update. It typically takes a year to have new rated helmets readily available in the market. So, we will “pause the helmet advancement until they are and give people reasonable time to get one. So, for 2025 we will still allow Snell 2010, 2015, and 2020 ratings for AutoX events. As 2025 unfolds, if the market proves to have reasonable Snell 2025 helmet choices available (likely late in the year) we will announce that for 2026 the acceptable Snell rating will advance to 2015, 2020, and 2025.
With this guidance, I can state definitively that the Chesapeake PCA will follow the PCA National guidelines and will still allow Snell 2010 helmets and (of course) later ratings for our AX events during 2025. As of the 2026 season, the required Snell rating for CHS PCA AX events will be 2015, 2020, and 2025, per National guidance. This directly affects me; my helmet is SA2010, so I’ll need to replace it next year.
Last month, I included a preliminary 2025 CHS PCA AX schedule. Good news! Contracts are in hand from Ripken and we now have a finalized schedule. In what I consider to be doubly good news, a date in June opened up at Ripken and I snapped it right up with the result that all of our races will be held at Ripken Stadium this year
March 22nd (Saturday): AX Schoo
April 12th (Saturday): AX#
April 27th (Sunday): AX#
May 17th (Saturday): AX#3
June 1 th (Saturday): AX#
August 16th (Saturday): AX#
September 6th (Saturday): AX#
October 18th (Saturday): AX#7
I really wanted 9 dates at Ripken with another event date in July, which would have enabled us to hold a Test & Tune early in the season as we’ve done in recent years. Unfortunately, I could only get 8 dates, so the T&T went down the toity this year. That’s OK. To have a chance to get the 9 dates I actually wanted, I would have had to start working the schedule earlier, but that wasn’t possible because I was awaiting information on the status of Prince George’s Stadium for 2025. Frankly, I consider us lucky beyond measure to have done as well as we did. After all, I had only a casual relationship with Ripken management, so I could hardly expect any special consideration. (We didn’t race there at all in 2024, yet they were really great to work with when setting up the 2025 schedule.) We’ll do better next year!
The 2025 AX events aren’t up on Motorsportreg.com yet, but they will be within the next couple of weeks. I like to get these out there early because serious autocrossers will want to know race dates ASAP so they can get their schedule set. We’ll get out an eBlast to let everyone know when the events go live on MSR.
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 POT, 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 can safely open your eyes to a whole new world of excitement.
When you race in autocross, you’re using the car the way it was meant to be used and just about the only things you’re really wearing are brakes and tires. If you’ve never tried AX before but thought about it, you really owe it to yourself to come out and go for it. And of course, the best way to get started is to attend the AX School where you’ll get classroom instruction followed by plenty of seat time to apply what you’ve learned. And note that we really focus on the driving portion of the school.
Since the AX School is an early season event, it’s time right now for anyone with an interest to consider attending. The School is for newcomers and inexperienced drivers who desire focused instruction at the basic skills of AX. (The School is not necessary before attending an AX race, but it is helpful.) The day will begin with AX Co-chair Mark Hubley providing a short period of instruction on performance driving techniques (about an hour of chalk talk), after which the real fun begins. In the morning, students will rotate through three instructor-led driving exercises to give you the opportunity to actually apply the techniques discussed: a skidpad, a dual slalom, and a small section of an AX course where the student will practice finding the racing line. In the afternoon, the three exercise elements will be joined to form a full AX course and students will drive with Instructors for timed racing through the course.
Did you notice the articles by Manny Alban and Randy Pobst about autocross? Manny did a PCA Tech Tips entitled, “Ten Reasons Why You Need To Try Autocross” (https://www.pca.org/news/tenreasons-why-you-need-to-try-autocross-pcatech-tips). Manny is a long-time AXer and comes out to race with us when he can. I’ve also heard from students that he’s a very fine Instructor (he works the AX School when he can fit it into his schedule). I’m hopeful we’ll see more of Manny this year since we’re racing practically in his backyard in 2025!
Well-known racing personality Randy Pobst got his start in autocross, as he details in his article, “How autocross can make you a better road (https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/racer” randy-pobst-autocross-improves-car-control/). Pobst is an unbelievably good driver and it’s interesting to see what he thinks about learning car control through autocross. As an aside, note that one of our exercises at the AX School is a skidpad. You would be amazed how much you can learn driving your car as fast as possible in a circle – this gives you the opportunity to really feel understeer and oversteer and how to recover from these conditions.
The dedicated CHS PCA AX team (Co-chair Mark Hubley, Phong Nguyen, Pinto Soin, John Cho, and Doug Slocum) will really be stepping it up for 2025 at the new venue. Logistics will be more challenging, but the team has come up with great solutions to the problems inherent in working at the new site. It will also be interesting to see what course designs Mark will come up with for Ripken. I’m sure it’ll take some time to get the feel for course design there, but Mark did such a good job with course design at PGS that I’m sure we have fun times ahead.
I’m also seriously thinking about some updates to my car (which is a 2014 Cayman S) for next season. The car is approaching 70,000 miles and it might be time to think about upgrades instead of the more standard replacements for upkeep. Let’s just say that at this point I don’t expect to be in S4 again next season. ;)
Happy New Year to everyone and I’ll look forward to seeing you again at the races!
Greg Hartke CHS AX Chair
Join the Chesapeake Team
Positions Available
Are you looking for an exciting new opportunity to support the Chesapeake Region? Volunteerism is a great way to enhance your membership with the PCA and have more fun!
The Executive Council is looking for leadership in the following areas and we’d love to have you join the team.
Patter Editor – responsible for creating monthly issues by adding content supplied by the Committee Chairs or creating your own. Currently the Patter is created in Figma, but the Editor can choose any platform for production. The current Editor is ready and willing to train, so if you have an interest this is a terrific opportunity to learn. The time commitment is about 5 hours a month.
Community Service – responsible for organizing and coordinating community service projects. Identify and develop events that promote social welfare and community service working with non-profit organizations and community-based organizations. The current lead is willing to help transition and provide contact information from previous events. Time commitment is only a few hours a month.
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.
Cost: The one-time cost for the PCA License Plates is $45.00, which includes the $30.00 MVA fee and a $15 Chesapeake PCA fundraising fee to support the PCA License Plate Program and Chesapeake Region events.
If you have any questions regarding the purchase of PCA Maryland Organizational License Plates, please contact us at: pcaLicensePlates@pcachs.org. Safe and Happy Motoring.
Chesapeake Region Grill Badge
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.
The cost per metal car badge is $30 or two for $50, inclusive of shipping and handling. To order: Go to www.pcachs.org and use the “STORE” menu from the main page. Click the button and complete the order form page and make your payment.
How To Apply: The only way to apply for PCA Organizational License Plates is to complete the online PCA Maryland License Web Form at https:// pcachs.org/pca-maryland-license-plate/ and submit it electronically. Please click on the above link to learn the details and requirements to apply for PCA License Plates.
Requirements: You must be a PCA Member and the car must be registered in Maryland. The PCA Plates are not limited to Porsches. You can apply for PCA plates for all your cars registered in Maryland!
Chesapeake Region Name Badge
Get your Chesapeake Region Name Badge!
Go to www.pcachs.org and use the “STORE” menu from the main page. Click the button and complete the order form page. The Name Badge cost is $25, inclusive of shipping and handling.
Full size Lego 911 Turbo at the Zuffenhausen Porsche Museum from November 2024.