KASSETTE
Gold Coast Region - PCA
FEB 2016 MAR 2021
DIE PORSCHE
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Die Porsche
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Mar Jun 2016 2021 | Die Porsche
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DIE PORSCHE
KASSETTE A monthly publication of the Gold Coast Region Porsche Club of America
Editor Roger Fabel 648 NW 100 Lane Coral Springs, FL 33071 (954) 752-2501 E-mail: rfabel@aol.com Graphic Artist Kirk Giannola Kgiannola@comcast.net 954 551-1300 Writers Mark Johnson Ron Meyers Christy Spangler Photographers Roger Fabel Alejo Menendez Advertising Roger Fabel Copy Editor Tom Goodmann Submissions The deadline for submission of materials is the 1st of the month prior to that of publication (for example, October 1st for inclusion in the November issue). Please email: rfabel@ aol.com with “Kassette Material” as the subject line. Photo of the month material shoud be sent to gcr.potm@gmail.com.
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Mar 2021
Features Electric Porsche?...................................................... 10 The 48 Hours Shines................................................. 16 48 Hour Photo Gallery............................................... 18 Photo of the Month Contest Winner.......................... 23 Sebring Volunteer Review......................................... 26 PCA National News................................................... 31
Upcoming Events Events Calendar.......................................................... 6 Porsches and Pancakes............................................ 21 Autocross Update...................................................... 28
Departments Officers / Board Members............................................ 6 President’s Corner....................................................... 7 New Members / Transfers........................................... 8 Editor’s Notes.............................................................. 9 GCR Classified.......................................................... 20 Social Committee / Chairs......................................... 21 Advertiser Index........................................................ 32
DIE PORSCHE KASSETTE is the official publication of the Porsche Club of America, Gold Coast Region, Inc. and is published monthly. Any statement appearing in the Kassette is that of the author and does not constitute an opinion of the Porsche Club of America, the Gold Coast Region, Inc., its Board of Directors, the KASSETTE editors or its staff. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all material submitted for publication. Permission is given to chartered regions of PCA to reprint articles in their newsletter if credit is given to the author and the KASSETTE. Publication office: 648 NW 100 Lane, Coral Springs, FL 33071
KASSETTE
Gold Coast Region - PCA
FEB 2016 MAR 2021
DIE PORSCHE
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ON THE COVER Electric Pace Car Photo by Ken Hills
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Mar 2021 | Die Porsche
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2021 Calendar
Officers President Peter Olliviere
V President Dottie Kidd
Treasurer Carolynn Ditrichs
Secretary Cynthia Fluhart
Jan 17
Islamorada Brunch
Jan 30-31 Daytona Rolex 24
Directors
Feb 4-7
Sebring 48 Club Race 28th Annual
Feb 6
Autocross #1 at Sebring
Feb 19-20
DRT 2021
Feb 11
Membership Zoom Meeting
Mar 11
Membership Zoom Meeting
Mar 16-21 Sebring 12 Hours (68th year) Mike Koller
Christy Spangler
Apr 8
Membership Zoom Meeting
Apr 16-18
Run to Mt Dora
May 21
Werks Reunion
May 22
Autocross #2 at Sebring
May 20-23 Amelia Island Concours Ian Gerada
Ed Blair
Randy Gananathan 2nd Alternate
Rick Veingrad 1st Alternate
Past President Steve Kidd
Mar 6
Porsches and Pancakes
Mar 9
Board Meeting
Mar 13
Golf Stream Rally
Mar 18
Thursday Social
Palm Beach Gardens
West Palm Beach
Port St. Lucie
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Kassette | Mar 2021
Porsches and Pancakes
President’s Corner Here we are two months into 2021 and we are still fighting COVID. Like most of us, I harbored the thought that by the New Year, a switch would flip and COVID would be almost gone. That was the hope. The reality is that it’s still with us and in many ways getting worse instead of better. But all hope is not lost. We now have a few weapons to help us fight the COVID battle: social distancing, wearing face masks, frequent hand-washing, and the COVID vaccinations. These weapons have had a positive effect on our attitudes. Using myself as an example, I can say that when this pandemic started, the prospect for infection was disturbing and I did not want to participate in any public events for fear of being infected. As a whole, during that time club participation plummeted, as could be expected. Now, although the weapons have shown some promise in curbing the effects of the virus, in the last couple of weeks as more and more people get vaccinated, people’s attitudes have become more hopeful and with that, life has started to regain some semblance of normalcy.
The club calendar is coming back to life! The Islamorada Brunch took place in January and more than one hundred members participated. A group of our members attended the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The race was great and exciting right down to the end, but I was disappointed to see that our member, Howard Jacobs’s LMP3 team, was taken out in a crash early in the race. The first Autocross of the year was held at Sebring on February 6th and DRT 2021 was also in February. Two great events are on the close horizon. The “Run” to Mt. Dora will be held on April 16th through 18th. This event will last two days and will be based at the scenic Lakeside Inn in Mt Dora. We will have the opportunity to join driving tours around Florida Lake Country and to explore the picturesque town of Mt. Dora. Registration is open on Club Registration, so reserve your spot now. Another event that has never graced a PCA calendar before is Axe Throwing. I never knew that this was a group sport until it was suggested at a club event. The dates have not been established yet, but
Peter Olliviere, President
it is targeted to be sometime in April. Our Club Calendar is coming to life so check it often so you can get in on the fun! We have been testing broadcasting of the monthly meetings on Facebook. Since COVID’s onset, the monthly meetings have successfully been held on Zoom. The problem is that we are limited to the number of members who can access that platform at one time. This monthly business meeting is open to all members and it would be against PCA Bylaws to limit members. In order to accommodate everyone, Zoom meetings will now be broadcasted on Facebook Live. (No numbers restriction, no sign in and complete security). Be on the lookout for your invitation to the March meeting! Last but not least, stay safe and safe guard your health.
Feb 2021 | Die Porsche
Peter
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Todd Stuart Todd Tanner William Flynn Christian Gomez Ryan Martin Gunther Grineberg Stephen Mills Charles Leikauf Eduardo Holguin Matthew Goren Raul Gonzalez
1971 911S 2014 911 Turbo S 2011 911 Carrera 1991 911 Carrera 2 Targa 2006 Cayman S 2015 911 Targa 4S 2021 911 Targa 4S 2014 911 Carrera 4S 1989 911 Carrera Targa 2019 718 Boxster GTS 2014 Panamera GTS
Anthony Azan Mario Verdeja, Jr Justen Novales Armando Martinez Allan Duenas Kevin Spence Michael Knoop Eduardo Ramos Sami Bazzi Joel Negron Robert Gross
2021 718 Cayman GT4 2021 911 Turbo S Cabriolet 2020 911 Carrera 4S 1999 Boxster 2010 911 Carrera 1986 911 Turbo 2020 718 Cayman GT4 1996 911 Carrera 4S 2018 911 GT3 2003 911 Carrera 1994 911 Speedster
Primary 2058 Co-members 1073 Total 3031
Jack Richer from Metropolotan New York 2018 Macan GTS
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Editor’s Notes Wow. The 48 Hours at Sebring club race was very different from previous years because of the COVID-19 health precautions, but the overall results were as good if not better than in past years. That statement may sound confusing, so let me explain. Every year a combined committee of Gold Coast and Suncoast PCA members, along with about 100-member volunteers, national PCA club race officials and track officials come together to hold the first PCA club race of the season at the historic Sebring race track. More than 300 drivers attend this four-day event to compete with other club drivers from many states. This was the 28th year of the event and everyone was amazed with how well the event plan was executed. Several parts of the event were omitted such as the Friday
Roger Fabel, Editor
night vendor showcase, the silent auction, and the Saturday night banquet and live auction. As an alternative the silent auction was held at each vendor’s location with the winning bids going to the Ronald McDonald House Charity. In spite of the additional health restrictions and limited activities, the attendees are looking forward next year to being part of the largest club race in the world. This month we have several articles that reflect the success of the event, the hard work that each member provides, and the support of the sponsors to make this the best club race in the world. Each year as new members sign up to volunteer, they can’t wait to serve with this incredible team of dedicated PCA members. I hope you enjoy the articles and you become part of this very special event.
Special thanks to our Photo of the Month editor, Christy Spangler, who attended her first 48 Hour event and volunteered in most of the positions, including serving as a Pit Marshal for the Sunday race. The POM is a very popular feature and I appreciate all of the great photos along with articles our members are providing. Our staff is off to DRT, where we hope to bring you great photos and articles about the event. Stay tuned for more 48 Hours at Sebring photos and articles in the April Kassette. Thank you to our newest staff writer, Mark Johnson. This was his second year at the 48; he will be providing many future stories.
Mar 2021 | Die Porsche
Roger
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Electric Porsche? They say you have to admit to the problem before you can do anything about it. Okay. Hello, everyone. My name is Michael, and I am a petrolhead. So, the phone call from the 48 Hours at Sebring Club Race chairman went something like this: “Champion Porsche is providing a Taycan to be the `pace car / safety car’” for the race this year. As the “pace car / safety car” driver for the weekend I am surprised. Silently, in my mind I question, “What? Did I hear that right? An electric car on the racetrack? For `pace car / safety car’”? Slowly I reply, “Well, okay; that will be interesting.” Never one to be unappreciative of the many years of loyalty and generosity from Champion Porsche, I am happy to drive what is provided. But this time I have questions that begin to flood my thoughts. Champion has always come through, but an electric car? How will the batteries hold up? How heavy is it? How is it going to handle when I have to pace a field of aggressive Porsche Cup cars? How is it going to accelerate and handle when I have to scoot out of the pit lane to pick up the leader? What is it going to sound like?
When I say I am a petrolhead, I mean that I am really a rather old petrolhead. Nature has already begun to dye my hair grey. I think fondly of the late 70s and early 80s air cooled 911s. You know, the cars that have no cup holder, no ABS, no power steering. They had an air-cooled boxer motor and bullet-proof 915 gearbox, with which it was sometimes a little difficult to find the gears, but they were a real driver’s car. A car that really had a single personality that said, “let’s go out and play”. A car that was very demanding of the driver who wanted to push her to her limits, but well… a Porsche through and through. Then remembering the 944 Turbo (the 951) with the four-4-cylinder watercooled motor in front and coolant hoses and turbo piping under the hood, I realized that particular transition went well. The 944 was quick, well-mannered and easier to drive quickly than a 911. It was a Porsche … even though the motor was in the wrong end of the car, and it had a radiator. Then came the water-cooled Boxster and later its sibling, the Cayman. Even more well-mannered and in many
1898 Original Electric Porsche at The Porsche Museum
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cases even quicker than a 951! Back to a boxer motor, but, this time in the middle of the car. They were sports cars, with the sound, feel and handling of a Porsche. But then came the water-cooled 911. It had cup holders, ABS, power steering and early PSM, and PASM. What was the world coming to? Unstable as this made me, I was willing to give it a chance. As I think back, I recall how the 95, 997 S, that I had the opportunity to drive on the Nurburgring saved my checking account significantly when PASM kicked in at Brünnchen and made me look like a hero rather than a zero. I recall that it was certainly different from the 911SC, but It was actually quite a nice car to drive to church and on the race track. Two personalities and very well suited for both destinations. But most importantly, it was a Porsche. Then came the 991S with a PDK transmission. After experimenting a bit, I found that there was a very high probability that the transmission would be in the correct gear at the correct time when I left it up to its own devices rather than when I tried to shift it myself. It served well as a “pace car/ safety car” and was actually really fun to drive. It made me grin when I could activate iTunes with voice commands through “Carplay” headed to turn 7 with the PDK down shifting and blipping the throttle while I said, “Play Led Zeppelin, Kashmir”. All while sitting in air-conditioned seats in a fully climate-controlled cockpit. Nice! But it still sounded like a Porsche; you still knew you were driving a car designed for enthusiasts. The 911 had changed from being a car with a single personality that demanded a lot from the driver\ to a car from which the refined and discerning driver could now demand a lot. All that being said, it was clearly still a Porsche.
But an electric Porsche? How is this going to be possible? Deep breath now. . . that’s it. . . Blake Lewend the “Porsche Pro” from Champion arrived with the Taycan 4S on Thursday evening. On Friday morning he introduced me to my steed for the weekend. First impression? I can see the Porsche family resemblance in her lines. The interior is comfortably familiar with late model Porsches. When you sit in that interior at the driver’s position is when everything changes. It is very clear that this is not your granddad’s Porsche. This is something alltogether new. Or is it? One of Ferdinand Porsche’s first designs__ P1, if you will__ in 1898 was an electric-powered cabriolet. In 1900 the Porsche innovations began as he introduced a four-wheel-drive electric car. Of course, the Taycan 4S is light years advanced beyond that original electric Porsche but, as they say, “what is old is sometimes new again.” While the Taycan may have been one small step for Porsche, it was a giant leap for me. Most of the previously mentioned
generational changes and advancements came rather incrementally. In reality this fully electric Porsche came incrementally as well, through Porsche hybrid development for racing and street cars. But this is not a hybrid; there is no petrol motor. Deep breath again, old petrolhead: “out with the old, and in with the new.” Blake begins to explain the operational details of the car. It is new and different, but recognizably similar to recent generation Porsche cockpits. The touch screen glass cockpit is actually quite intuitive to get the basics down once we begin to go through the systems and set-up options. Of course, there are a number of set-up options that you can choose to customize the car to your liking or to the conditions you will be driving. Suspension setting, performance setting, even ride height can be adjusted at the touch of the display. “Hello, Mr. Speed Bump!” There is an audio system display, and navigation display. The systems and battery charge displays keep you fully aware of your battery status. It recuperates energy
under deceleration, or braking, and you can see all of that represented in visual imagery or digital representations on the dash. Much of that sort of thing has been around for a number of years now with hybrid technology, but the displays and data give you a clear picture of your charge remaining, and range. Next, we unplug with 100% charge and I put the car in reverse. Sound! There is an electronic, petrol engine sound from speakers. Ahhhh, that is so comforting to this old petrolhead. Of course, it has parking sensors and a camera system that gives a full overhead view and excellent situational awareness when in tight quarters. The view from the windshield has the familiar visible fender humps harkening back to that old 911. The steering wheel and steering feedback are also comforting and give you the sense that you are in a sports car. We take her out on the road for a brief run through (continued on page 14)
Mar 2021 | Die Porsche
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Mar 2021 | Die Porsche
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the function and driving characteristics. Ahhh, it feels like a sports car! One fairly quick corner gives an idea of handling, beyond grocery getter driving. Ok, let’s see how it accelerates. “Wow, that was quick”. Ok; we all know that electric motors provide instant torque. That sounds great when you say it. It looks great on the spec sheet. But it feels even better. It is exhilarating. Now, I have to say that I have been blessed to drive some pretty quick cars and the acceleration of the Taycan 4S is not necessarily the quickest in a straight line I’ve ever driven, but as the weekend went along, I realized that the acceleration and control out of the corners on the track are truly exceptional. As I learned to dance with the car, I found that trailing throttle and higher turn entry speed while feathering the application of throttle until I was unwinding the steering wheel near the apex yielded a grin-inspiring, addictive feeling that is unique to this electric Porsche in my experience. Wow! Feathering the throttle until near the apex of the corner is a good way to drive most all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive cars as well as this AWD vehicle. The front tires can accelerate with 100% grip or turn with 100% grip, but not both at 100%. Once I adjusted my driving style to utilize this characteristic, well…. did I say it was addictive? As “pace car” and then as “safety car” during a race, I do not get to run as fast as I want, and that impulse was very difficult to resist. The purpose of the “pace car” is to “pace” the field of race cars and keep them grouped together for a good flying start. Once the race begins the role shifts to “safety car.” The function of “safety car” is to be in position at the pit exit and be prepared to depart the pits quickly. In the event of an on-course incident where there is need to control the field, the “safety car” must accelerate out of the pits to a position ahead of the race leader. The speed at which we lead the field will
vary depending on what kind of incident we have, as well as what kind of cars are behind us. Porsche GT3 Cup cars (factory-built race cars) can overheat if they run much below 55mph. While that does not sound like much, that is 55mph in the straight away, and 55mph in the corners. It is the corners that bring the smiles. The Taycan 4S was just absolute fun in the corners. She was well-behaved even in the wet. So, how did the batteries hold up? After all day of being on duty sitting with the air conditioner running, in gear, always ready to take off at a moment’s notice, and several times during the day having to do just that? We began the day at 100% charge. Each start, including the pace lap, consumed about 3% of the charge. Sitting on station at stand by with air conditioning for 30 minutes at a time consumed about another 1% of battery capacity. An exciting “safety car” callout and safety car laps took another 4% of the charge. At the end of the day after six races as “pace car” and four “safety car” sessions we ended with 58% battery capacity remaining and 124 miles of range. The Taycan 4S has three siblings: the
Taycan, Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S, the choice depends on your need for power and/or economy. The 4S we drove for the weekend has four doors and four comfortable adult seats. It has all the creature comforts you would expect from a modern sports sedan. It has exhilarating performance and acceleration. On track the cornering is predictable, and wellmannered. Did I mention that the torque, which yields the acceleration out of the corner, is addictive? As I sit in my office writing this article, I am suffering some withdrawals. Wow, this old petrolhead may be seeing things a little differently now . . . After all that concern, I can say without hesitation and with a big grin: this too is a Porsche through and through.
Thank you, Porsche, for remaining true to your roots, and thank you Champion Porsche for your support of our event and giving this old petrolhead an exciting view of the future that is here today.
Original Electric Porsche Powertrain
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System Monitoring Has Come Along Way
Unwind, Accelerate! Grin!!!
Mar 2021 | Die Porsche
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THE 48 HOURS AT SEBRING SHINES DURING THESE STRANGE TIMES
T
here will be, no doubt, several articles written about how the Gold Coast and Suncoast Regions managed to pull off one of the best Club Races ever in these strange times. Notable no doubt, among many things, will be how the various Committee members from both Regions heroically overcame the myriad obstacles presented by running an event of this size and scope during a global pandemic. “Flawless” was one of the many superlatives used by the National Staff to describe their assessment of the weekend. The usual debriefing with the Stewards (where they tell us all the things that went wrong) and Regional Chairs and was indeed brief this year.
This article, however, will not be about that (well, not any further). In this article I would like to focus on one particular Committee member and the Committee’s and Race Community’s efforts to reward his exceptional efforts. Flashback just a few years ago when, on a dark and stormy night, a big-time race team had the track rented before us and refused to allow us any access until nearly 6pm on Wednesday night. At that time we did not have assigned parking in the paddock; we just brought in participants and helped them find a spot. When I say it was dark and stormy, I mean it was raining like hell. And the sun sets around 6pm every day at the end of
January—but there was no sun! Imagine 300 to 400 tractor trailers, car haulers, dudes with open trailers, and God knows what else all coming across the bridge in a steady stream in a pouring rain, as Sebring becomes enveloped it a shroud of darkness, all fighting for a piece of real estate in the paddock. Harsh language was spoken more than once. Now, this was not our first rodeo but the parking staff (including yours truly) was rendered completely ineffective by the torrential rain. It was nuts. Eventually we did manage to control the chaos, but it was not our finest hour. Enter Mr. Jim Farmer. Jim has been around this event, one of the largest single-marque Club Races in the world, for several years and he had seen enough. He volunteered to become the 48 Hours Parking Czar. I can’t tell you exactly how he does it, even though he keeps in the loop every step of the way. But using several different computer programs, lots of hardware, astonishing amounts of communication and some sort of magic, every single participant, not just in our event but the one before ours, is given an assigned spot . . . down to the inch . . . marked on a map and in red tape on the ground in the paddock—the entire paddock. Many of the participants of the DMTD event before us unload their cars and stay over for our event and thus MUST be in the correct spot on Monday or risk having to pack up and move on Wednesday. Not good. So, yes, Jim and his crew (6 of us this year) show up on Monday to organize the paddock for the 48 Hours event that starts on Thursday! The coordination and communication that Jim has with Registration (to know who is coming so they can be contacted), ALL those race teams (to know how much room they each will need), and the Sponsor Vendor Chair (to know who paid for what and what they were promised) is superhuman. It takes months. Race teams from all over the country and the local guys dragging their Porsches behind them all know that when they get to Sebring, they will have their spot laid out for them, and be directed right to it. Let me tell you this makes for a much more relaxed and enjoyable weekend, to say the least. Jim’s efforts did not go unrewarded at this year’s 48 Hours. Aside from the usual “great job” from the Club Race Co-Chairs of course, it was decided to give Jim a token of our appreciation. Now, it so happens that a certain artist named David Chappel is a vendor at our event. If you are not familiar with his work, Google his name. The motorsports artwork that he produces is otherworldly.
We procured a fantastic drawing/painting from him and decided to have as many racers and team owners sign it as we could get. These guys LOVE Jim. So his partner, Joe, is driving his golf cart around the paddock getting guys to sign this for Jim and Jim sees him . . . And it goes kinda like this . . . JIM: “Hey Joe, what are you up to?” JOE: “Aw; they gave me this artwork to get signed and we are going to auction it off for charity.” (Quick thinking by Joe, Jim’s best buddy). JIM: “Well, heck, I’ll help with that.” Joe (Now starting to panic): “Naw, I got this; you got lots else to do.” JIM: “BS! I don’t have anything else right now. I’m helping you”. Jim proceeds to sell the crap out of this idea to the entire paddock. He convinces hundreds of folks to sign it. Joe finds a way, one after another, to tell these guys that it is for Jim. Can’t make this stuff up. They are eating it up. The artwork is set in a mat with a three-inch perimeter. We had the artist remove the glass and got several different color Sharpies. The entire mat surface is now covered with signatures from hundreds of drivers and team members, many of whom are Pro drivers. He still has no clue. So . . . Jim was to have a small get together at his RV in the Paddock Saturday night. He looked a bit uptight when LOTS of folks came wandering over (not enough booze). When he saw the entire National staff show up he was hitting the processing limits and we decided it was time. To say he was moved and surprised at the presentation doesn’t do it justice. At first there was just confusion. Several of us said some nice things (including David Murry) then when he was properly emotional we pulled out the artwork. TILT! As it slowly comes together in Jim’s brain, one of those rare and wonderful moments occurs when someone who gives so much of himself gets some back and you get to be part of it. “You got me,” he says between real tears. The artwork now hangs in Jim’s “man cave”/garage (It’s a very fancy pole barn with a lift). So here’s to the good people of the Porsche Club of America and here is to my good friend Jim. CHEERS Dan Smithyman ,Gold Coast Region CO-Chairman 48HOURS at Sebring PCA Club Race
48 Hours at Sebring Paddock Parking Map
Photo Gallery by Alejo Menendez
Porsche Classified 2018 911 GTS
1989 One Owner, 79k mile, 944 S2
This is a very clean and well optioned 2018 Porsche 911 GTS. Featuring the awesome PDK transmission, ventilated seats, clear bra, Burmeister Sound System, Adaptive Cruise Control, and the classic wide-body turbo look. 20k service done in August. $105,000. Contact Alex via text or email at 954-665-5719 ajvlaw@gmail.com
Beautiful one owner, 5 speed, fully documented 79 k miles. All original paint and interior in immaculate condition. Original Blaupunkt. Recent timing belt, water pump, fluids, brakes, alignment. Always garaged and covered. No surprises this is a truly beautiful and well cared for car. Looks new. If you are looking for the best this is it. $19,500, Jon 954 931 0319, jonjmay@yahoo.com
Porsche Wheels and Tires
2008 Porsche 911 Steering Wheel
4 wheels and tires , Tires are RIKEN, in almost NEW condition, one road trip , sold the with factory wheels, 225/255/17 CHROME 8 and 9 came off a 944 S2 less than 800 miles $850 2 Continental Extreme Sport 285/30/18 bought wrong size low miles, 300.00 Can call Peter @ 630 632 8170 I am local to Miami area.
Perfect 997.1 steering wheel – replaced with a newer version Only 35,000 miles on the wheel, no visible wear, scratches or blemishes $500 – located in Weston Local sale or buyer pays shipping and handling Contact Craig Berky at 513 236-6387
Porsche Classified Ads Classified ads are free to GCR-PCA members. Non-member ads: $25 for each 25 words. E-mail ads to: rfabel@aol.com with subject line of PCA-Classified. Deadline for ads is the same as articles, the 1st of the month preceding publication.
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Get involved with Gold Coast
Social Committee Ed Blair Dale Brundige Cynthia Fluhart Dottie Kidd
Beena Kohly Peggy Raben Rick Veingrad Concours / Social Peter Olliviere
48 Hours Co-Chair...................Dan Smithyman
Join GCR-PCA
If you are not a member join by visiting www.pca.org and select the“Join PCA” link.
Follow us on Facebook @
Autocross Chair .....................Steve Kidd Autocross Registrar ...............Dottie Kidd
Gold Coast Region PCA
DE Chair ...................................Mike Roblin
Contribute to your newsletter
DE Registrar ............................Jake Kooser
Die Porsche Kassette needs your articles and photos. Please submit your content to the newsletter editor at rfabel@aol.com. Text files should be in a Word document. Please use Times New Roman size 10 font. Photos should be high resolution. Both text and photos should be attached files. Contact editor for more details.
Membership Chair ...................Paul Raben Webmaster ...............................Ian Gerada
Porsches and Pancakes
Meet for Porsches & Pancakes on the 1st Saturday of the month Stuart Tequesta Palm Beach Boca Raton Ft. Laud. South Miami Wynwood
Three Little Birds Cafe 9 am 740 SW Federal Highway, Stuart- Pat & Ted Tiemeyer Time To Eat Diner at 9 am 716 US Hwy 1, North Tequesta 33469 - Joe Wexler Sant Ambroeus at 9 am 340 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach 33480 - Randy Gananathan Flashback Diner at 9 am 1450 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton 33432 - Paul Laya Flashback Diner at 8 am 4125 Davie Road, Davie 33314 - Ed Kohly Casa Cuba at 8:00 am 5859 SW 73rd St., South Miami 33143 - Ruben Alisina Arepa Bar & Restaurant at 9 am 169 NW 36th St, Miami, FL 33127 - Carlos Trevisson
Following COVID-19 guidelines we will have a maximum of 6 per table and require face masks.
Mar 2021 | Die Porsche
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Greetings From Christy Happy New Year GCR Members. I would like to thank you for voting for me as a director for our organization. In 2005, I joined the PCA in the Potomac region. I’m originally from Miami and when I returned to South Florida in 2012, I transferred to this region. In the last year and a half, I have had more time to start volunteering for GCR events and began attending board meetings. Moving forward into 2021, the Porsches and Pancakes have resumed, as well as the happy hours and at this writing, the upcoming dine and drive to Key Largo in January. In February I will be attending and volunteering at the Club Race in Sebring for my first time. As things begin improving with the pandemic, we plan to add more events. If you are uncomfortable with attending an event, I encourage you to attend the virtual happy hour hosted by Ian Gerada.
by Christy Spangler, Director
It is a great way to touch base with other members, get to know one another, see how everyone is doing and, of course, talk Porsche - bonus - without masks! The Kassette is a great way to contribute to the club - contact Roger Fabel if you have an article or other content to submit. I work on the new Photo of the Month feature and have been receiving a lot of great submissions. I also plan to write an article about dogs (or other pets) and Porsches - if your furry companion enjoys riding in your Porsche, contact me at christyspangler@ yahoo.com to be included in the article. This organization is about the members and I would like to hear from you- thoughts, ideas, concerns. I also encourage you to attend the board meetings to see what is going on in the club, as well as volunteer for events. Hope to see you at an upcoming event soon.
Dine & Drive, Waivers and Furry Companions
Greetings GCR Members. We kicked off January with the first dine and drive event to Islamorada Fish Company in the Keys for lunch. The food was delicious, the weather and scenery were beautiful and It seemed like everyone had a good time. From this event I want to bring up the topic of the waivers, yes, that necessary piece of paperwork when attending these events. We have the standard event waiver that we must all sign for each event, but now there is the PCA communicable disease waiver to cover COVID and the pandemic. The easiest thing to do is sign them online through clubregistration.net. Then there is the issue of if you have a guest with you. One option would be for your guest to create their own account on clubregistration.net to register themselves and sign the waivers. The PCA COVID waivers will be effective from May 26, 2020 through May 26, 2021 and if signed on clubregistration.net it will appear each time you register for an event.
The other option would be to print out the waivers, sign them and drop them off at the event. Always check the event emails for the most current information about the waivers and how to submit them. At the dine and drive, I met several members that brought their dogs along. I am planning to write an article about dogs (or other pets) and Porsches - if your furry companion enjoys riding in your Porsche, contact me at christyspangler@yahoo.com to be included in the article. This organization is about the members and I would like to hear from you- thoughts, ideas, concerns. I also encourage you to attend the board/membership meetings to see what is going on in the club, as well as volunteer for events. Hope to see you at an upcoming event soon.
Call Out for Pets and Porsches . . . Does your dog (or other pet) enjoy going for a ride in you Porsche? Then I would like to hear from you for an upcoming Kassette article about our pets and Porsches. Please contact me, Christy Spangler at christyspangler@yahoo.com.
Christy and Titan ready to ride
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Photo of the Month by Christy Spangler, photo of the month chair
Under Backstreet Lights This month’s photo was submitted by Alec Druth of his 2004 986 Boxster S. I really like the creativity and the eye for the lighting on this night shot. It really brings out some nice details of the Boxster S contrasting against the texture of the parking lot and background. Alec’s passion for Porsche started at an early age. He had floor to ceiling posters in his room of the 2005 911, Boxster and Cayenne. After all, Alec’s parents met at a Porsche dealership when his father was there to put in a pre-order deposit on a Boxster when they first came out. Since he grew up in Manhattan, NY, Alec did not need a car and didn’t get his first driver’s license until the age of 21. When he turned 22, he began searching for a vehicle. The practical cars & SUV’s did not interest him and with the encouragement and help of his father, Alec began the search for his first Porsche. They began looking at 2000 Boxsters, but they were either out of his price range or in poor condition. Alec said that according to his father, “If you are getting a Porsche, it would be a manual transmission”. Alec came across a 2000 Boxster S in good condition in his price range in Orlando. He and his father drove to Orlando the next day to get it. “I picked up shifting fairly quickly and absolutely love this car.” says Alec. This photo was taken in the parking lot of a CVS near Alec’s parents’ apartment late at night under a street light. He wanted to accent the beauty of the car with some aggressive lighting and surroundings to make a dark and moody photo. Alec’s photo is a stitched panorama shot on a Nikon D500. I really appreciate all the great submissions - please keep them coming! How to submit a photo for consideration: Submission deadline is the 20th of each month. Please include the following information: • name • phone number • information about your car • the title for the photo • a short write up about the photo • what kind of camera or smart phone you used to capture the image? Email the above information with your high-resolution image attached to gcr.potm@gmail.com
Mar 2021 | Die Porsche
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48 Hours of Porsches at Sebring by Mark Johnson Beginning on Thursday, February 4th, the 28th Annual 48 Hours of Porsche was held at Sebring International Raceway. It is an incredible event. This is a premier Porsche Club Racing event held every winter during the first weekend in February. The 48 attracts cars and drivers from all over the country to south central Florida for spirited automobile racing and legendary Porsche camaraderie. An estimated 300-plus vehicles representing more than 25 states were in attendance for this year’s four-day event.
Days are scheduled to allow practice all day Thursday, and Friday morning. Race qualifying is held Friday afternoon. Sprint races, 30-45 minutes in duration, are held on Saturday, two each per major group with two endurance races held on Sunday. Interspersed among the sprint groups are Advanced Solo (DE) driving events. There is also an Autocross held on Saturday morning on a separate location at the track. Sunday racing is for the endurance (enduro) events where the race lasts 90 minutes.
Grid volunteer Christy Spangler
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The racing is spirited, safety is paramount, and everything is Porsche. Owning a Porsche, being a PCA member, or arriving with a member is required for admittance. The event is not open to the public. The 2021 version of 48 Hours was held under beautiful, clear, cool and sunny weather for both Thursday and Friday. Saturday was partly cloudy with a hint of rain. Sunday featured a strong cold front that blew through between 9:00-9:45 am. Due to heavy rain and lightning race marshals suspended track events for a
Volunteer coordinator Sherry Fabel
bit. After a delay of an hour, racing was resumed. Besides racing on a historic and storied track, a big draw is the exceptional Florida weather. Many teams from much further north come to Sebring to escape the winter. Imagine that . . . . Due to the Sunday rain the endurance races were shortened to 60 minutes, allowing Sunday’s racing to be completed almost as scheduled. The almost on-time finish allowed teams to pack up for the short or long ride home. Besides observing the races from the main grandstand, and from along the speciation areas, one of the great things to do is walk the paddock area. Here the teams have their racecars parked. Vehicles are prepped, serviced, gassed, and repaired. It is not uncommon to see cars in the paddock on jacks/stands with a tech underneath repairing brakes, engines or trans-
missions. In fact, in a walk through the paddock area a person can observe a spare engine or transmission being installed in a vehicle. It is amazing to see the level of effort put into placing a race-competitive Porsche on the grid. Many individual owners will contract with race-oriented garages for weekend services. Companies such as KMW Motorsports, Isringhausen, AutoQuest, and others will establish their major trailer and tent “shops.” These support service groups can provide race day efforts to as many as 15 to 20-plus customers, although many race shops will limit their efforts to 4 or 5 cars and their respective drivers. The racers and crews are a big part of the event. However, a larger and often unsung group are the folks in the 48 Hour Committees and the volunteers. There are 30 PCA members from Gold Coast and
Suncoast Porsche chapters who “organize” the event, with the workload split evenly between the two southern Florida groups. In addition, PCA National sends another 13 members to take up roles on the racing committee, as stewards and scrutineers, or as timing and scoring members. And then, to top it all off, there are another 100 or more PCA club volunteers preforming various tasks to support the committees. It is a heck of a team effort to organize, inform, and coordinate all these folks for the benefit of the club racing. PT Barnum would be impressed with the show. As both a volunteer and a spectator it is worthy of attendance, especially if you are a person who enjoys motorsports. If you are still uncertain if you should attend, check out an article in the April 2020 issue of Die Porsche Kassette, “A Rookie’s Trip to the 48 Hours at Sebring.” See you all next February?
Corner action at turn #5
Mar 2021 | Die Porsche
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Autocross Update
Steve Kidd, Autocross Chair
An Autocross at a Club Race?! That’s what occurred on February 6, 2021. Many of you have heard about the 48 hours at Sebring Club Race, but how many of you know that the Gold Coast Region AutoX team has been the hosting an AutoX as part of the Suncoast/ Gold Coast activities every year since 2008? I believe we were the first such organization to introduce Autocross as a feature activity to Club Race and have billed this as a Zone Challenge competitive event since the beginning. This AutoX has drawn hot shoes from all over to see who could claim the title of Class Top Gun or FTD (fastest time of the day). This year’s Club Race and the AutoX had some extra challenges in the form of COVID-19 precautions, fewer participants and volunteers, questionable weather, and something we did not count on—timing system problems. Our team had prepared for the COVID protocols and everything in that regard was well-rehearsed and went smoothly. Dottie did an excellent job of grouping who would run and who would work and the event ran ahead of schedule. The weather cooperated and while rain loomed on the horizon, everyone got dry competition runs and fun runs later in the day. The biggest headache occurred when our timing console decided to stop working during the first run. The event continued by going old school, utilizing a series of stop watches by a team of dedicated timers. A huge thanks to Julie, Claudia, Georgia and Marty who came out to volunteer (they did not run) and kept timing going consistently and accurately with stop watches, making manual entries in the computer. The course was said to be the best ever: challenging, safe, and without overly tight or fast spots. The plan was to end the AutoX around 1:00 PM so that Autocrossers could partake in the track tour and still have time to grab lunch and watch the sprint races in the afternoon. Also, while there was a break in the action, course designer Steve reworked the course so it could be run in the opposite direction. No small undertaking, that, but in the end a small group did come out and try the new design with fun runs. After the fun runs the Boy Scout troop came over and helped us pick up cones and pack the trailer. Again, a huge thanks to the Scouts and everyone else who pitched in when and where needed. While there were issues that forced us to adjust and adapt, the number of compliments and thank-you’s made it all worthwhile. I forgot to mention that times will be posted on the Gold Coast and Suncoast websites as well as the 48 Hours at Sebring website. I will tell you that the Fastest Time of the Day AGAIN went to Cory Corona, driving his well-prepared Cayman S. Most times were in the low 40’s to low 50’s and the competition and sportsmanship was great. If you missed this year’s Club Race AX be sure to plan on participating next year. I need to repeat an important message. To continue offering a world class AX program we need a new site. This could be a BIG parking lot, air strip or similar piece of pavement in the Tri-County area to hold our AutoX events. In the past we have used shopping center lots, sporting and gaming venues, and school/government parking facilities. We most recently used the BBT Center parking lot, which was great: large, centrally located and reasonably priced. A repaving project put an end to that lot; we hope the interruption is temporary, but it very well could be permanent. What we need is an “in”: someone who has a connection to a suitable property and can help us get our foot in the door. Do you know of a site? Are you the person with the “in”? Please call me at 954- 292-3915 if you can help finding a new AX site. Tentative AX schedule for the remainder of 2021 Event #3 5/22/2021 @ Sebring: Very similar to event #1 or a surprise location... Event #4 Tentative; possible “piggy back” on the Zonefest AX or another region’s AX, like Buckingham Airfield Summer Break Event #5 9/11/2021 @ Sebring or ??? Event #6 10/09/2021 @ Sebring or ??? Event #7 Tentative Mid-November. Location TBA possibly FAU or ??? Most of the above dates & sites are subject to change due to weather, availability and factors beyond our control. News, reminders and 2021 updates: • Everyone is now required to pre-register for any AutoX on Clubregistration.net. Please consult the GCR website and Kassette for all Autocross photos & results. • Porsche classes are loosely based on the PCR’s for medium-size regions, with minor regional adjustments. The major difference will be the addition of SN (stock car/novice driver) for men and women. These classes are strictly for newcomers only. Please see Steve for any car class questions or if you wish to run as a novice. We reserve the right to make additional class/rule changes as needed. • Our 2021 series is planned to include 5 to 7 events, depending on site eligibility. To be eligible for an end of the year award, competitors must run in over half the events in the same class. Each competitor’s top finishes will be calculated and an end of the year class champion and possibly runner-up (depending on class size) will be chosen. In case of a tie, additional events will be added until the tie is broken. Year-end class champion awards may be presented. • No passengers except for an approved AX instructor driving or in the car instructing. • For 2021 please remember to be COVID-19 conscious. This means COVID waivers, social distancing, masks and other appropriate safety protocols will be enforced. • Questions? Call Steve or Dottie Kidd at 954-946-3196. which was great: large, centrally located and reasonably priced. A repaving project put an end to that lot; we hope the interruption is temporary, but it very well could be permanent. What we need is an “in”: someone who has a connection to a suitable property and can help us get our foot in the door. Do you know of a site? Are you the person with the “in”? Please call me at 954- 292-3915 if you can help finding a new AX site.
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Delivering Porsche technical content directly to your screens PCA’s Tech Tactics Live is an online extension of our biannual in-person Tech Tactics events. Hosted on YouTube, we cover various topics, including Porsche's newest models, DIY projects, and engaging technical discussions. Viewers have the opportunity to interact with the host and guests. Episodes are geared for experts and casual enthusiasts alike. SEE VIDEOS: www.youtube.com/porscheclubofamerica SUBSCRIBE TO PCA’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL TODAY!
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