WELCOME
U P ’N ’ CO M IN
NEw MEMBERS Deborah Batchelder ’73 914 - Blue
4-6 356 Holiday in Tucson Mike Stanovich ’68 912 - Brugundy
John Burns ’77½ 924 - Maroon
John Wallis ’77 924 - Silver
Marianne Diehl ’ 65 356C - Burgundy
Art Zapf ’70 914-6 - Yellow
Allen Drucker ’73 911T Targa - Beige Gray ’73 911T Coupe - Silver
Bata Mataja ’59 356A Cabriolet Hardtop - Blue Donald Primack ’79 911SC Targa - Petrol Blue
PCA-LA MAY MEMBERSHIP MEETING May 17, 7:30 PM SCC Yacht Club, 13445 Mindanao Way Marina del Rey I)~JS’]’~N~/-~NIr..~’~’A’~r’~’~
Annual L(~T
13 San Gabriel Valley Region Porsche Concours d’Elegance, sponsored by Vasek Polak; Old World Shopping Center in Huntington Beach; $10 entry; for info call Tore ~ Johnson (213) 597-7746. "17 LA Membership Mtg. at South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club, 13445 Mindanao Way in Marina del Rey. Our annual Parking Lot BBQ; see th±s page for details; dinner around 7 or 7:30.
Robert Hornbaker ’76 911S Targa - Brown
-PAP KIN
* 9 LA Board Mtg. at Ann’s house, 12222 Montana in Brentwood; 8 PM; call 826-9628.
15A .l Q(J
Bring the family and come join us for marinated flank steak (secret home recipe
"19 LA Tech Mtg. begins at noon at Alondra Park Recreational Hall, 3850 W. Manhattan Beach Blvd. (take Hawthorne Blvd. exit off the San Diego Fwy, go north 2 blocks and turn right on Manhattan Bch. Blvd; it’s less than a mile to Alondra Park). The subject is TIRES, and the presentation will be given by Tom Smith of Pirelli; he’ll cover both street and race tires. We’re inviting other regions’ members to join us; so come early to get a good seat. Info, call David Kozak (213) 822-5412. 26-8 West Coast Weekender -- CANCELLED 26-7 Golden Gate Region Time Trials @ Sears Point; info, call (408) 274-8659.
JUNE "13 LA Board Mtg. at the McKee’s house. ,21 LA Membership Mtg.@ the Yacht Club (see map next page); starts about 7:30 PM. We’ll .<have a film. 23-4 Zone 8 June Bug Time Trial @ Ontario.
published in last year’s newsletter), salad, rolls, beer and soft drinks, and dessert in the "elegantI’ surroundings of
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the SCC Yacht Club parking lot. I
* ~e re al so pl anni ng another "surpri se" event this year; so don’t miss the fun
RESPONSIBLE PORSCHE REPAIRING RE~U.~"NG RESTORATIONS AND
COST: $3 per person IF YOU CALL IN YOUR RESERVATION before May 12 Ann, 826-9628 evenings $4 per person if you just show up (’cause Dustin needs to know how much food to buy; so make your plans now).
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ROUTINE
SERVICE
AS~< OUR CUSTO,aERS, 4~o~ R~,oo~ A,..
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Our cocktail party for the Nat’l Executive Board members was a big success; we received lots of nice compliments from them; thanks to Carola Anderson and Ann Wang for the hors d’ oeuvres ....... Thanks to Susan and Mac McKee for making the arrangements for our day at the Long Beach Grand Prix; the race was pretty boring, but everyone there seemed to have a good time ............... Our April membership meeting was a big success; more than 50members and guests joined us for dinner at the Original BBQ and then stayed t~ hear our speaker, Rob McFarlin. An IMSA driver and winner of this year’s Sebring race, Rob gave a very entertaining account of his experiences driving Datsuns and the Porsche 935. The following weekend, Rob and his teammate placed fourth in the 6 hour Enduro race at Riverside; congratulations to him ....... As another highl ight of the evening, we presented a pl aque to Ursul a Grunfel d, thanki ng her for her "years of hard work and good cheer in support of PCA;" everyone signed a farewell card for her--she’s deserting to Zone 7; we wish her good luck. The evening ended with a Mercedes Benz film of the Monterey Historic Auto races from last year, complements of Ron Ramage and Steve Earle ....... A reminder to everyone: the phone numbers for all the board members are listed on the outside colored sheet of each newsletter; if you have a question (or a complaint) use them ........ The Westcoast Weekender had to be cancelled because too few people registered ....... If you plan to attend the Monterey Historic Auto Races this year (Aug. 17-19) and would like to park in a special area set aside for Porsches, call Ron Ramage 597-7746 ...... Mac McKee has offered to chair a fun gsnnkhana for early June (remember the Rose Bowl last year?); if you would like to help set it up, call Mac 559-9948 evenings ...... We’re also planning a gin~ick rally and picnic for July; more about that later.
REWARD
$500
For information leading to the recovery of our 1958 356 1600 Speedster; silver metallic with black top; license IND 597. Stolen on April 5 from Security Pacific parking garage at 611N. Brand in Glendale. Call Bob or Marie Montavon, 823-6525 day or night.
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for sale
Thiscolumnisavailablefreeto PCA-LAmemberswhowanttosell, trade or purchase Porsche cars, parts or related equipment. All listings must conform to the following: ~
i. 2.
propertyandnotconnectedwithanybusiness
Itemsmustbepersonal enterprise;and Descriptions must be complete and include appropriate serial
numbers.
Nonmembers’adswill
bepublishedonaspace-availablebasisforafee
6f $10.00.
All listings are subject to editing and condensing. PORSCHERAMA is not responsible for any misrepresentation of items in this For Sale column. 5 chrome C rims incl. tires; ’61 Roadster top and windshield frame; ’65 Cabriolet door; old Pano’s and Christo’s from #51-138. Best offer for any of the above. Call Jerry Pennington, (213) 822-5475 evenings. Parts: many 356 mechanical parts; new C rear clip; ’57 Speedster rear clip, glass and doors; 911-912 front suspension complete w/ Konis and brakes; early 5 sd, complete trailing arms, brakes and axles; and more. Send postcard w/ required needs to Ron Godfrey, 2256 Lakeview Ave., L.Ao 90039, or call (213) 667-3186. WANTED: Co-driver to Washington, D.C. for Parade; leaving L.A. around June 25. Call Jerry Pennington, (213) 822-5475 evenings. WANTED: 1969 or 1970 911 in original condition with air, Sportomatic OK. Will pay premium price for excellent example. Call Yes Minear 627-5011 Ext. 64 days, or 767-3570 evenings.
p esidential rhetoric When the 1978 Parade at Snowmass was over, I found that the circumstances under which the "no passenger" rule had been passed were quite disturbing to me. The rule itself, if viewed as a risk-reducing measure, is not something I would ever object to. My concern was not the rule itself, but the emotional climate and misunderstanding under which it was presented. It was stated by strong implication, if not directly, that we were about to lose our club insurance program if we did not prohibit passengers in speed events. I felt that such an allegation was improper since the club policy does not, and is not intended to, provide any kind of medical reimbursement for any occupants of the participating cars. It seemed appropriate to write an article for PANO which would clear up the misunderstanding about the purpose and coverage of the insurance policy. Following is the article which resulted. (The reason which kept it from appearing is not relevant at this time). It seems appropriate to print it now, at least on a local level, because of the continuing controversy over the no passenger rule and additional recent occurrences, Las Vegas Region held its Zone 8 time trial on March 17-18. A couple of serious non-injury accidents occurred, and I have been told that some basic safety rules were violated. The no passenger rule was also ignored. The PCA Executive Committee was informed of the situation by the observer in attendance, and they took action, That action was to suspend, temporarily, the insurance coverage on the Las Vegas Region. Since I was not present at the time trial, I don’t feel qualified to judge whether any action should be taken. Assuming that it was justified, however, I do feel that I am in a position to evaluate the action itself, First, the insurance contract insures the regions and members. There is no provision in it which allows a selection by anyone, the executive committee included, to choose which regions or members will or will not be insured. Such a provision would be discriminatory and is prohibited by every state in the country, Secondly, the violations involved did not increase the exposure to risk for the insurance coverage, and therefore the insurance should not have been involved in the punishment.
my position that safety rules must be observed and that, if passed for safety’s sake, the no passenger rule is a good one. I cannot, therefore, dispute that punitive action may have been in order. l~hat disturbs me is .that the penalty is improper and~may be invalid, when a proper action and penalty were not only available but easier to achieve. If any action was justified, LVR should have been cited with safety and rules violations. Their charter should have been temporarily suspended or placed on probation. Subsequently, an investigation could have established the facts and allowed an objective, logical revision of procedures relating to the conduct of time trials in all of Zone 8. The results would be numerous and favourable to all. To me, the action which was taken borders on dishonesty and is an insult to the intelligence of the members of PCA. Dave Stephens (Editor’s Note: Dave wrote the following article not only as a concerned member of PCA and of Zone 8, but also as the former PCA national insurance chairman; he knows what he’s talking about): As a general rule, insurance is a topic of conversation to be avoided, especially in social environments like Porsche club meetings and events. Lately, however, insurance has become a rather critical subject at nearly all PCA functions, not because it’s any more interesting than before, but because it’s vital to the operation of PCA and it is becoming more and more difficult to get. Three years ago the PCA general liability insurance policy cost us about $12,000 and provided $2 million of liability protection. We are now paying approximately $40,000 and getting $I million of protection. Further, we are assured that renewal of the current policy will be available on the next anniversary only if market conditions do not become worse, if our loss experience does not go bad, or if the loss experience of all car clubs doesn’t get worse that it has been. Although insurance is a commodity which each of us depends on daily, it is also one of the least understood elements in our lives. Since insurance is so vital to PCA, I feel that an information and status report regarding the PCA liability policy is in order. Following are answers to some of the questions PCA members mig~ask:
Why does PCA need liability insurance? PCA national is a corporation with assets. -We don’t have a lot of assets but what we have are vital to the operation of the club. Should the club be sued and those assets tied up, the club would cease to function. Also any members involved in the occurrence which led to the legal action might also be sued. The insurance would assume the responsibility for the legal defense of the club and the members, and the payment of any judgments against either up to the $I million policy limit,
Since there are many insureds, is it pessibl~ for an insured, who has suffered a loss because of the negligence of another insured, to collect from the policy? It is not the intent of the policy to cover that incident. The premium charge does not include an amount for that risk, and further, the policy is for the protection of others from the club, not for the club from itself.
Most of our events are held on property (race tracks, parking lots, parks, etc.) which is provided for our use only after we have supplied proof that we are legally and financially capable of assuming the accompanying risks. That proof is always in the form of the insurance certificate. It is the fulfillment of that intent to provide the liability protection and establish a base of legal and financial responsibility which makes it possible for club activities to function,
Indemnity Agreement." In essence, that is a contract in which you agree to not sue the insured(s) regardless of what happens to you during the event. The insurance contract requires that all persons participating in any capacity sign that waiver. Also, you do not become an insured (protected if you hurt someone) until you have signed it. Since very few people are present who have not si~ned the waiver form, where does the insurance company’s risk occur? Even though there isn’t
How does liability insurance work? The PCA policy protects the club and its members much the same as your auto or homeowners insurance protects you. Under those policies, if, because of your negligence, someone suffers bodily injury or property damage, your liability coverage will assume financial responsibility for that act and also, should legal action be involved, pay the litigation costs. Under the club policy then, if, because of negligent action committed during a PCA activity, someone suffers injury or property damage, the policy will reimburse that person for the loss on behalf Of the club.
much risk at a concours or membership meeting, the waivers have not been signed; so everyone can be a potential claimant. In the case of a rally, the accident potential is increased because we are,driving, and all of those other drivers and property owners out there are potential claimants. In theory, even though the risk is high, the speed event should be the least likely to produce a claim because everyone has signed the waiver. This is not so, however, because of at least three distinct hazards: I) the casual observer who wanders onto the course; 2) property which is vulnerable to the activity but which is excluded from the option of collecting for damage, such as fences, buildings, parked cars, etc not owned by an insured; 3) a " participant in the event who is injured and then claims that the waiver was not valid or that the
Who is insured by the policy? The policy names as insureds: PCA, its chartered regions, their members, officers, officials, car owners, drivers, pit crews, participants and any persons or organization operating, managing, or providing premises for covered events. These are the individuals and organizations who will be legally protected if their negligence harms someone.
It is difficult to write such a limitation into the policy; so each participant is required to sign the "Release and Waiver of Liability and
risk which led to the accident was greater than represented and so the waiver did not cover the amount of negligence.
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TOP QUALITY BODY WORK FOR PORSCHE We Do Flare Work on Your Porsche Without Any Plastic, Lead, Welding Rod Used. "SOLID"!
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Ho~ does other insurance such as personal medicaL or auto medical payments or collision coverage coordinate with our liability policy? If a person has a valid claim against the PCA liability policy and is also eligible to collect from another policy of some kind, the PCA policy should not duplicate payments by another policy, If a PCA participant is involved in a collision with another vehicle or object while on a public road (as in a rally) and the PCAer is at fault, his own auto liability and the PCA policy share equally.
HOLTVILLE
How has the claims loss experience of PCA been? Very good. Total payments for all claims against our insurance are approximately $2,000.
feeling that things weren’t going to be as organized as they were in Las Vegas. There wasn’t anyone at the entrance to have us sign the waiver. All of our cars passed tech without being lifted off the ground for inspection. Nor was the correct registration/tech form used. The organizers of the event must not have read the 1979 Zone 8 time trial rules because all of the above are rule violations.
"
Considerin9 that, why is the premium so hi~h? This is one of those situations where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. All car club insurance policies are combined in the same premium pool. From that pool come the claim payments for all of the clubs. So, if the pool gets low on money, the premiums for all the clubs go up. On the other hand, if our club has a bad loss ratio, our rate alone goes up. Even though PCA has had exceptionally good experience, the other clubs have drained the pool; so our rate has still gone up.
Holtville in Imperial County was the site of the second Zone 8 time trial of 1979. The Monkeyface Racers sent three cars this time, with the rest of the team competing in a POC event closer to home. Also at Holtville were John Wmson, Pete and Karen Zimmermann, Lee and Tony Burton, Mac and Susan McKee, Jack Dirosario and a friend. When we got to the track on Saturday, I had a
They also did not have an ambulance or the person 1 that come with one (though they did have a stretcher); that’s another violation. Even though Burt Misevic approved the use of a helicopter that could be there in 2 minutes, I think the decision was indefensible considering
Why is our insurance in jeopardy when we have had such ~ood experience and we’re obviously helpin~ to carry the other clubs? The insurance of all clubs is in jeopardy, not just PCA, primarily because of the increasing amounts of court awards and, correspondingly, the increased propensity of people to sue at the slightest provocation. Therefore, even with not increase in the number of accidents, claim costs are increasing alarmingly,
what happened in Las Vegas only two weeks before. Saturday night after a very good dinner in Brawley, we hosted the rest of the LA region members who were not attending the safety meeting.
Also, even though we’re the largest marque club in the world, our premium contribution to the pool is small compared to SCCA, for example, and one single claim against us of only half our policy limit would more than eclipse the entire premium payment of PCA since our beginning.
went up on one side and might have gone over if not for the ballast that Jose provided. After Judd’s nerves had settled, he borrowed my wheels and Jose’s valve cover to win his class. Jose won his and I finished second in mine. On the way home we stopped again in Brawley; we want to thank Eddie at Los Dos
liow ca~ we prevent that from happening? By being safe. Follow all oF the safety regulations and instructions which you get from the Safety Committee, and use common sense in every activity.
Gorditos for his generous hospitality. We had a great time. Anyone interested in a tour of Brawley, please let me know. Ben Adauto
Are there any alternatives to our present insurance carrier? Not that we know of, but we are always alert to the insurance market.
Sunday was an exciting day for Judd and Jose. With Judd driving and Jose instructing (for nat’ltheofficers’ a wheel broke The and car came off car in a info), very fast corner.
Oregon Region formally announces mini-Parade ’79. If you plan to attend the Oregon ’80Parade or if you would simply enjoy a pleasant weekend composed.of regional entries competing in concours, rallye or autocross divisions, plan now for Labor Day weekend, September I and 2, 1979. Facilities include the Red Lion Inn, just minutes from the autocross and concours locations, and Portland International Raceway, site of the ’80 Parade autocross (a great chance to get a jump on the competition). One hundred car maximum ~.itry, concours Saturday 9:00 a.m. - I:00 p.m., rallye Saturday 2:00 p.m., autocross Sunday beginning 9:00 a.m.
Awards banquet
Sunday night at the Red Lion, leaving Monday for traveling back home. istration closes one week prior to the event. Registration forms to follow. Don’t miss this exciting preview!
Bill Shores OREGON REGION, P.C.A. 3435 S.W. Vista Drive Portland, Oregon 97225 (503) 292-8278 (503) 292-2656
Reg-
L
T re Talk This article is designed simply to provide background information for the tech session on tires coming up May 19. While this information may be overly basic, the object is to give everyone in the club the same level of basic CORRECT information, The place to start is with tire sizes. For many people this just means a bunch of numbers and letters on their sidewalls. A standard size for many Porsches might be 165 SR15. The 165 refers to a tread width of 165 millimeters, The larger the number, the wider the tread, The SR refers to the speed rating of the tile. Tires are rated for their maximum allowable sustained speed -- how fast the tire can continually run without failure. Speed ratings are given in MPH, and I’II give the ratings later in this article. The 15 refers to the inch diameter of the wheel. Most Porsches have 15 inch wheels, but some have 14 or 16. The missing number from the above size would be 78. The correct size would be 165/78 SRI5. The 78 is the aspect ratio of the tire; that is, the width of the sidewall expressed as a percentage of the tread width. Normal profile tires have an aspect ratio of 78 percent, (Note: some manufacturers list normal aspect ratios of 80 or 75 percent). Low profile tires have 70, 60, or 50 percent aspect ratios. Low profile tires always give the aspect ratio with the size; most normal profile tires don’t, Hence you’ll find 185/70 SR15 tires and 165 SRI5 tires, but it will be difficult to find a tire marked 165/78 SRI5. When comparing tires of different aspect ratios, it’s important to remember the rolling radius of the tire. This istheradiusofthewheel and tire in a rolling state; in other words, the total size of the wheel and tire. A 70 series tire requires a 20 mm wider tread in order to retain the same rolling radius of a normal aspect tire. So a 185/70 tire will have the same rolling radius as a 165 tire. This means the ride height will remain the same, the speedometer calibrations will remain the same, but there will be 20 mm more rubber on the road at each wheel. So when going to a large size tire, going to a lower aspect ratio will eliminate most problems while giving the advantage of having more contact with the road.
So back to the speed ratings. Quite simply, SR tires have a sustained maximum speed of 112 MPH; HR tires have 130 MPH, and VR tires have 165 MPH. Generally speaking, tires with higher speed ratings tend to wear faster, ride harder and handle better. So everything’s a compromise -- handling versus ride and longevity. l’ve tried to give the bare basics of reading and understanding tire sizes. If you want to know about steel belted versus fabric belted tires, or the correct size for your Porsche, or about proper air pressure for your Porsche, or about the difference in speed ratings for the way you drive, or about anything relating to tires for Porsches, you’ll have to come to the May tech session. Pirelli will be giving us the benefit of all their knowledge by putting on the technical display they give to their new dealers. The date is Saturday, May 19, at Alondra Park, 3850 W. Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Lawndale (use the Hawthorne exit from the San Diego Fwy.). The time is 12 noon at the recreation hall. This will be a once in a lifetime chance to pick up a lot of tire knowledge in a sh~rt,period of time. And remember, a nice turnout will enable us to attract other companies to put on tech sessions for shock absorbers, fuel injection, turbocharging, etc. This is a first for PCA-LA and hopefully it will be the start of varied If you have any questions, call tech sessions. me. David Kozak 822-5412
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(213) 391-7277 24-HOUR PHONE 13332 W. WASHINGTON BLVD, / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90066
PCA-AT A GLANCE POA-LA is a "Region" of the Porsche Club of A~erica, the ]arges~ one ~arque c]ub in the ~or]d. At the local ]e~e], PCA-LA is a group of over 500 Porsche
enthus~&sts. Our club offers the Porsche owner the opportunity to share the exhilirating and sometimes frustrating experience of driving, maintaining, and understanding one of the most unique automobiles in the world. We invite you to enjoy it with us. Membership in the Porsche Club of America costs $24.00 annually. This includes regional dues, and it entitles the member to discounts at club events, subscriptions to both PORSCHERAMA and PANORAMA, and much more. For further information, contact our ~4embership Chairman, Carola Anderson.
THE BOARD
PRESIDENT
Dave Stephens ................. (213) 540-7752
VICE PRESIDENT Bill Bohn ..................... (213) 247-8387
SECRETARY Howard Levin .................. (213) 783-3164 TREASURER Stana Cooper .................. (213) 766-7125
ACTIVITIES Jan Winthrop ............. days (213) 670-1976
TECHNICAL David Kozak ................... (213) 822-5412
days (714)640-4600 MEMBERSHIP Carola Anderson .......... eves (714) 586-3051
~~I~ -- Complete Engine and Transmission Overhaul -- 911 Fuel Injection Analysis and Repair -- Expert Turbo Service and Repair by appointment 720 0olorado Avenue
SantaMonica, OA90401
4~7~
PUBLICITY/EDITORS Ann Wang ................. days (213) 393-0411 Susan Clark .............. days (213) 278-8930 CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Sam Wang ...................... (714) 892-3431 GOODY STORE E]lie Raucher .................
(213) 784-6081
ZONE 8 REPRESENTATIVE
Burr Misevic .................. (805) 482-7076