Porsche Club of America
Los Angeles Region
February 2008
Inside: La Carrera Panamericana . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Recent News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Classified Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 LA Events Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 8 Zone 8 Events Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Stanley Bauer Wins Class At La Carrera Panamericana That LA Region member Stanley Bauer is a car guy is an indisputable reality. He had read about La Carrera Panamericana — a road race that grew out of the original Pan American Road Race of the nineteen fifties in Mexico — for many years. A friend ran the race in 1995 and had only good things to say about the event and the experience. In 2005, he co-drove the race and saw that handling and reliability were the key to doing well, and had seen a few Porsches doing just that. With a 356 race car already in his stable of cars, he decided what his next move would be. Turning to N.A.R.W’s Klaus Holthaus to prepare the car for the race, handling and reliability remained paramount in every aspect of the preparation. The
race is run at very high altitudes and careful attention to carburetor jetting and tuning choices were required to ensure ample power for the duration of the week-long race. Safety also played a major part in their choices of equipment and modifications to an already capable Porsche racing car. The original race was discontinued largely because it had come to be considered
too dangerous. Safety issues are strict and strictly enforced for the current event, in part because of the race history, but also because it’s simply smart. When I spoke to Stan about the race, he mentioned that the organizers were very strict about safety regulations and also that race is “as dangerous as you want it to be.” This I took to mean that it doesn’t really have to be dangerous unless, like most things, you yourself make it that way. So with the car ready, the stage was set for entry in the 2007 running of La Carrera Panamericana, last fall. With his cousin Jeff Frysh as co-driver, Stan began each day of the race with one simple objective — to finish without incident. Going fast and having fun is important, but shouldn’t jeopardize the primary objective of finishing. This game plan paid off very well, with a win in the Historica “A” + Class. Talking with Stan reveals how much fun he had and what an adventure it really is to participate in this Continued on Page 4.