FINDING GOLD Dan Smithyman

He’s humble, with a brick on the walkway at Sebring

For the past 15 years Dan Smithyman has professionally and quietly carried on with his duties as Co-Chairman of the 48 Hours at Sebring. During his time co-managing this exceptional Porsche Club Racing event, the 48 Hours Club Race has grown and prospered. As noted in several previous articles in Die Porsche Kassette, the 48 Hours at Sebring is considered the premier club race in the country for Porsche owners and drivers. Dan has nurtured the event, along with his co-chairmen from the Suncoast Region PCA, all to provide a superb weekend for the racers.

Dan bought his first Porsche in the early 1990s. It was a Minerva Blue 1976 911S, Turbo-Look, initially a daily driver. Dan soon began autocrossing (AX) the car and then started Driver Education (DE) with GCR and Suncoast Regions. The AX and DE eventually led to Dan modifying the 911S to a full-on track car, no longer street legal. As Dan suggests, the ’76 911S, nicknamed “Old Blue”, was a fixture at Gold Coast Region and Suncoast Region DE events for multiple decades.

With the conversion of Old Blue to track-only status, Dan acquired a 1986 911 Carrera Targa. Following a few modifications this car was restored; more precisely, it was done in restomod style. It was beautiful. It became the driver, while Old Blue was towed to the track for the stress releasing speed fix.

Dan has been involved as Director of Tennis and Recreation by several clubs in the south Florida area. His calling provided a 40-year career tennis. Finally taking a break from the courts, Dan retired. He and his wife Betsy, his wife in a 50-year relationship (more on that later), were ready to move towards new and different directions and horizons. It was decided that both “Old Blue,” the 911S track monster, and the ’86 Carrera Targa would be sold to friends who appreciated the value of each individual Porsche.

Dan and Betsy wanted to travel, sightseeing via the roads of America. The two Porsches were sold. The Targa was simply too small for two persons to make extended road trips.

These new destinations were to be visited in a 1975 GMC Motorhome and the explorations of the country would begin in earnest. The GMC is also a resto-mod, so the family has most all the modern conveniences of modern travel. Planning the routes and crisscrossing the states was their future and they relished the miles, venues and sights seen.

Covid slowed the effort for a bit, but with the start of 2023 the Smithymans game changed to rekindle the wanderlust.

The 48 Hours at Sebring Committee holds a “wrap up” meeting each year following the event. It is essential to examine what works, or doesn’t, and then to adjust and move forward. This wrap up meeting would be different, all the same; Dan Smithyman was stepping down from the Co-Chair position.

Dan had a major impact on the overall success of the 48 Hours. His leadership and organizational skills created a legacy such that the 48 Hours Committee presented him with a commemorative brick on the Sebring Gallery of Legends walkway! Dan is enshrined with the likes of Don Panoz, Mario Andretti, Carol Shelby, Dan Gurney, and many, many others. Dan is in very good company when it comes to being so honored.

Mr. & Mrs. Smithyman were also celebrating another personal milestone during the 48 Hours wrap-up meeting, their 50th wedding anniversary. The Smithymans celebrated this wonderful event at the generous behest of the 48 Hours Committee. We understand that there was not a dry eye in the house when their anniversary was announced and celebrated, the commemorative brick revealed, and Dan’s retirement from the 48 formally announced. It was a fitting tribute to the couple and to the efforts they made in the many years of Porsche Club Racing at Sebring and with Gold Coast Region PCA.

The 48 Hours at Sebring committee is not the only group to have honored Dan’s efforts over the years. In 2005 Gold Coast Region PCA awarded the Smithymans the treasured Family of the Year Award at the annual club holiday party. Dan was also the recipient of the Friedman Spirit Award by Porsche Club Racing at the annual dinner and awards banquet in 2016, and it came with a spectacular trophy.

Dan and Betsy have raised three children, all grown and on their own. Daughter Tracy Duhig is married to husband John and they reside in Denver, CO. The Duhigs are a family of four with two boys (16 & 14). Tracy is an executive with Wonderful Brands (i.e., Fiji Water, Justin Wines, etc.) Son Jesse is married to wife Melissa and they live in Oakland, CA. Jesse and Melissa have a daughter, Lily, with a son to be born soon. With Jesse’s 1+ they give Dan and Betsy three grandchildren with one more to be added shortly. Jesse is an executive with Imprint Energies

Daughter Christal lives in St. Petersburg, FL. She appears to be the thrill seeker of the family. She is a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) pilot, and also flies conventional airplanes and has a commercial helicopter pilot license. She is a GCR member, drives racecars, and is a national recognized DE Instructor. We hope that Christal will provide DE instruction at an upcoming GCR event. As Dan suggests, Christal does EPIC stuff! Dan actually used a different term, not “stuff,” but we’ll leave that to our readers’ imagination.

Using the GMC motorhome, the Smithymans expect to traverse over 3,000 miles one way for a visit to the west coast through St. Pete and Colorado for family visits. At least they are taking their hotel room with them! When in south Florida they reside in

Coral Springs, but they originally hail from Pittsburg, PA.

Dan has enjoyed many different aspects of Porsche ownership. He’s participated in multiple rallies, group drives, Porsche at the Rolex 24 Daytona, Sebring 12, and many others. Dan suggests that “without question the moving vehicle events have been central to my PCA experience.”

After starting with autocross and quickly moving to DE he became a High Performance Driver Education (HDPE) instructor in the early 2000s. He took on responsibilities of DE Registrar in 2001 and then the GCR DE Chairman position in 2003. He joined the 48 Hours at Sebring committee the same year. Then in 2009 he accepted the position as Co-Chairman of the 48.

As a Gold Coast Region PCA member since 2001, Dan has worn a few different hats. He’s been honored to serve as a member of the GCR Board of Directors, Vice President, President, and Past President. Die Porsche Kassette readers might remember a few articles written by Dan when he contributed to the newsletter.

(ED Note: We need to find an article, or a few written by D. Smithyman)

Dan has a love for air-cooled Porsches, having been initiated through Volkswagens. It must be something about the beautiful sound, or maybe he likes being pushed around; we’ll have to ask. With a motorhome taking up their time, the Smithymans are “between Porsches” but we expect that this period will not be lengthy. Dan indicated that the ’86 Targa is still owned by a very good friend. Maybe a day will come when an air-cooled Targa finds its way back into the Coral Springs driveway.

In nearly 30 years of Porsche ownership and in-depth participation, Dan Smithyman has been immersed in driving. Moving to a motorhome for travel and relaxation is still driving, but perhaps not as quick, exciting, or demanding. It is our hope that Dan and Betsy find the roads clear, dry, fair, and fun. We also hope that they find their way back into a PCar for that little extra bit of joy that the Porsche experience provides.

We at Gold Coast Region are fortunate to have Dan and Betsy Smithyman as dedicated members. They have made a big difference in the success of our Region and especially with the 48 Hours at Sebring, a marquee event for GCR. The brick on the Gallery of Legends Walk is a rock-solid mark of their achievements.

Treffen, “to meet”, is a four day touring event that takes place in different parts of the country organized by PCA and the host region. It offers members a chance to enjoy four or five star hospitality in picturesque parts of the country with scenic driving.

The 2023 Spring Treffen Georgia Mountains, hosted by the Peachstate Region, was held April 19-23 at the Barnsley Resort in Adairsville, GA. The Barnsley Resort estate was built by Godfrey Barnsley in the 1800’s and it is now comprised of an Inn and several cottages, a golf course and hiking trails. It is also where we had the welcome reception in the Bier Garden, breakfast and the evening cocktail hours and banquets. Of course, there was also a car wash set up, much needed to wash the bugs off my car when I arrived.

The Treffen offers two days with a choice of driving tours and a “Navigator’s Day Off” where you have a choice of destinations by motorcoach, self driving tours or a day to enjoy the amenities at the resort.

From the top, Several Zone 12 members met in Valdosta, GA to drive to Adairsville; Members displayed their Porsches during a Town Square themed dinner; The “ruins” at the Barnsley Innthe original building that was deestroyed by a storm in the 1800’s; a bourbon tasting sponsored by Princess Cruises. Left, the welcome dinner.

My first tour was a self-drive to the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, GA. We had a guided tour of the facility and the “Porsche Icons” exhibit that explored the recognizable silhouette of the Porsche, the spoiler, headlights and tire shapes over the years. Afterwards, we had a ride along the track with PEC drivers that did not hold back before having a wonderful buffet lunch in the 356 Restaurant.

On the second day, I chose the tour to the Wolf Mountain Vineyards and Winery in Dahlonega, GA. The drive through the mountains was wonderful to the winery on 1,800 ft elevation. The trees and foliage displayed beautiful shades of lush spring greenery with the ground being spotted with splashes of color from the wildflowers. The owner of the winery, Karl Boegner, is a Porsche enthusiast himself and gave us a tour of his Porsche collection, including a 356 Porsche previously owned by Olivia Newton-John. Not only does he have nine beautiful Porsches in the collection, he also has a massive collection of racing and PCA event posters and a collection of all kinds of memorabilia and trinkets. After the tour of his European village style garages, we enjoyed a buffet lunch and wine tasting.

One of the options for the “Navigator’s Day Off” was a tour of the Pirelli Tire factory in Rome, GA. Being one who is interested in how things are made, I could not pass up this opportunity. This factory is high-tech with Pirelli’s patented Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) which uses robots to manufacture the tires. It was fascinating to watch these robots in action making each tire and laying the tread to certain specifications. After the factory tour, we went into Rome to an Italian restaurant for lunch and had some time to explore the shops in the town.

There were approximately 280 in attendance. This was a wonderful event where we had a chance to take some amazing drives, enjoy delicious meals and make new Porsche friends from around the country. The next Treffen, which is in the fall, will tour the Mississippi River Valley. In addition, they announced next year’s spring Treffen which will be in the California wine country. More information will become available on PCA.org in the upcoming months. Finally, the PCA | Princess cruise in December has been renamed to “Treffen at Sea”. If you enjoy nice accommodations, amazing food, great driving and meeting other members from across the country, I would recommend the Treffen experience to you.