AUSPUFF MESSENGER
NEWSLETTER OF THE SANTA BARBARA REGION, PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA September 15, 2020 — Volume 1, Number 4
From the SBR President
W
hile following all the PCA and State guidelines and safety protocols around the coronavirus, the Santa Barbara Region is again open for business. I previously noted the Club’s successful “Motoring to Malibu” drive in August. Now all three Club drives scheduled for the rest of the fall are sold out. In place of our twice monthly breakfasts, we inaugurated Cars & Coffee in Camarillo at the Premium Outlet Mall and in Santa Barbara at Leadbetter Beach. Both had great turnouts with around
30 cars each. These C&C’s are at 8:00 a.m. the first and second Saturdays respectively. Look for a tentative schedule of 2021 driving events in the printed Der Auspuff due out later this fall. As always, the best and most current information can be found on the Club’s website: www.sba. pca.org. Happy and safe motoring. Rod Hersberger President
Last April, SBR held a photo contest. Fifty-two stunning images of fabulous Porsches were received. Here are just four of the editor’s favorites.
‘57 356A Coupe, Rommel a Carrera Tribute 1. Photo by Alan Surgi.
Cayman At Sunset. Photo by Steve Bullard.
Carrera GT. Photo by Mike Monsalve.
2016 60th Anniversary Club Coupe. Photo by John Alfenito.
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Preparation for the Unexpected Why didn’t we crash? A few years ago, on a warm and sunny afternoon, my wife Lorraine and I were cruising north at 60 mph up Kanan Dume Road in my silver cabriolet. We were coming back from the beach with the top down, radio playing, and the wind in our hair. We drove out of Tunnel T-1 and were about to pass the Newton Canyon Backbone Trailhead and parking lot on our left. Suddenly, a truck darts out of the parking lot, crosses the center divider line attempting to turn left, and heads straight for a collision with us. There is no way to stay in our lane and avoid getting T-boned! There were tall construction cones blocking off the shoulder road on our right, so my only option in a split-second decision was to maneuver through the cones, clear the truck, and head back through the cones onto the northbound lane (ahead of the offensive, clueless driver). I’m thinking “What an idiot that driver was,” but that fast speed maneuver was so much fun. Then I looked at my wife, she’s ashen faced, hands over her heart, staring forward like she knew we were dead for sure. I assured her that traveling through cones at a high rate of speed is nothing new to me and I didn’t even break a sweat. Why?: because of my experience with PCA autocross. A little history: I joined PCA back in 2011 after Lorraine so graciously bought me my first 911. Shortly after, I started exploring my car’s capabilities with a Driver’s Education class, then tried a few PCA autocrosses, mostly with an
Eventually, I was driving solo and then one day I pushed so hard that I spun out! I was shocked and dismayed at first and then I realized that my car and I were just fine. With a broad grin, I realized I had just found and crossed that edge those real racing people talk about. I continued on, learned, improved, and enjoyed myself at every event as I challenged myself, my car, and my newly found PCA autocross family. Later, wanting more, I explored PCA Driver Education events, once again with an experienced coach in the right seat, but this
time on a real racetrack at Willow Springs. It was invigorating at higher speeds with (uh oh) other cars on the track, but in a highly supervised setting. My learning and practice paid off and I graduated to become a solo driver racing on tracks with similarly experienced members without a coach whenever I want. For real life defensive driving exercises, or just the thrill of learning to push yourself and your car to higher limits, consider PCA Drivers Education and Autocross. It could save your life! —Story by Lorraine and Glenn Crawford
experienced coach sitting in my right seat. Coaches helped me with the ins, outs, and techniques of driving the car at higher speeds and occasionally traded places with me for a demonstration lap (so much fun). With each event I could see and feel the difference in my driving. The clocked times I ran showed I was getting better and faster.
Editor’s note: Glenn is the SBR board’s Motorsports Appointee, senior vice-president of Western International Securities, and a PCA Driver Education Instructor.
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One SBR Member’s Road Trip
CHECKERED FLAG 200 CLUB VISITS INDIANAPOLIS Report and Photos By: Dick Lange
I
had the good fortune of participating in the Petersen Automotive Museum’s Checkered Flag 200 Club trip to Indianapolis. We visited an assortment of very private (and incredible) car collections.
We had three full days of touring with two busloads of enthusiasts. First, we visited Tony Stewart’s home (23,000 square feet) and his collection of race cars. We then traveled to the Dallara Indycar Factory, the sole supplier of Indycar bodies to all Indy 500 racers. Our third stop was the John Force Racing Center, which is housed in an 84,000 square foot shop that includes a museum with many of his historic race cars. His organization has won 20 championships and hundreds of races in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing series. Our second day took us to Cincinnati to visit Jim Jaeger’s home and his collection featuring Ferraris, including a 1962 GTO. There was also a 1963 split window Corvette Stingray. Next was a visit to Harry Yeaggy’s collection of 45 cars, which is one of the best in America. When Harry buys a new car, he sells one from his collection. His aim is to improve the collection over time, but not to make it larger. His collection includes a 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, 1967 Ferrari 412P,1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage, 007’s Aston Martin, and a 1935 Dusenberg SJ Speedster “Mormon Meteor.” The last visit of the day was to view a 1950 Ferrari Barchetta, a Porsche 906, and a 1951 Ferrari 212 in Tom Stegman’s collection. Our final tour day found us at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. If it raced here, it was on display. Then we headed to the Chip Ganassi Race Shop, which sponsors nine teams across five series. Over the years, his Indy car teams have amassed 12 championships, over 100 wins including five in the Indianapolis 500, wins at the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Rolex 24 at Daytona, and LeMans. Next it was on to the Ray Skillman Classic Car Museum, where Ray operates a classic car sales showroom. The museum includes antique bicycles, restored classic neon signs, a full-size functioning carousel, and more. The highlight of the tour was the final stop at Chris MacAllister’s estate for dinner and view of his fantastic collection. His passion is vintage car racing in his 1964 Cobra, 1966 Lotus 49, and 1966 Ford GT40, among many others. This tour definitely made my bucket list of things to see. If you ever get the opportunity to see any of these collections, you will not be disappointed.
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PO R S c h E PO K E R R U N
P l ay y o u r c a r d s r i g h t f o r b i g w i n n i n g s S AT U R D AY, J A N U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 2 1
T
ry your luck and poker skills and you might win lots of $$$ if you play your cards right! Navigate the scenic back roads of Ventura County and collect playing cards at strategic locations along the way. And that’s not all! The top three poker hands will split the pot! Winners will be crowned and the prize $$$ will be distributed at the end of our drive. We will meet at 9:30 at the Camarillo Outlets by Panera Bread where you will draw your first playing card and get further instructions. Bring your own delicious picnic lunch to enjoy at the end of the drive. R.S.V.P to Doreen Pankow by January 8, 2021. Email your name(s) and cell phone number to dpankow@sbcglobal.net. Cost is only $10/person for the activity fee plus $5 for each poker hand (limit two poker hands per car).
Upcoming Events Introducing SBR Cars & Coffee . . . not breakfast. Masks and social distancing still necessary. • October 3, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Camarillo Premium Outlet Mall in front of Panera Bread • October 10, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Leadbetter Beach, Santa Barbara, near Shoreline Beach Cafe Please keep the following SBR events on your calendars and look for more information as the dates draw closer. More information on each of these activities is on the Club’s website: https://pcasb.org. • Back Roads Drive Through Wine Country, September 19. Let Doreen Pankow know if you would like to attend so she can keep you updated on details (dpankow@sbcglobal. net). SOLD OUT! • CCCR Autocross, Santa Maria Airport, September 19. Registration for PCA members opens on August 26 and for non-members on September 12. Registration closes September 12. See www.motorsportreg.com. • Mount Wilson Observatory Tour, October 17. Let Nick Liakas know if you would like to attend (nicolasliakas@gmail.com). SOLD OUT! • Ocean Palms to Mountain Pines, November 21. Let Nick know if you would like to attend (nicolasliakas@gmail.com). SOLD OUT! The pandemic isn’t over. Safe gathering protocols will be enforced if conditions warrant. We remain optimistic as many are looking forward to getting back on the road with SBR friends.
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Hang out with PCA on social media In addition to the huge regional social media presence, the club is active at the National level, too. Join us for our daily posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We bring you the inside scoop at PCA and Porsche events, auto shows, road tests, Porsche Panorama video and photoshoots, and more. Help us grow our social media community and subscribe to them all! FACEBOOK @PorscheClubOfAmerica INSTAGRAM @PCANational TWITTER @PCANational HASHTAGS: #PorscheClubOfAmerica #PCATogether
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