February Velocity Magazine - Issue 23-02

Willow Springs

February 2023 / Issue 23-02 A

Note from the Editor:

The 2023 season is off and running. Aside from a few minor incidents, Willow Springs “delivered.” The weather was brisk and Mother Nature made herself known but the racing was awesome and the hundred-plus drivers that showed up had a great time.

In this issue, Andrew Weyman, Steve Eisler, Don Kravig and Martina Kwan all contribute interesting articles. And, as always, Luis Vivar provides us with great images that capture moments both on and off the track.

VELOCITY

Staff

Editor / Art Director

Don Matz

Contributing Writers

Andrew Weyman

Steve Eisler

Don Kravig

Martina Kwan

John Momeyer

Contributing Photographers

Luis Vivar

Andrew Weyman

Steve Eisler

Don Matz

Chet Kolley

POC Board of Directors

John Momeyer President

Scott Craig Treasurer

Nathan Johnson Secretary

Joe Wiederholt VP Motorsports

Dwain Dement Chief Driving Instructor

Eben Benabe Time Trial Director

Steve Town Sponsorship

Jim Salzer PDS Director

Porsche Racing for Every Degree of Obsession

www.PorscheClub.com

Cover Photo: Luis Vivar

Passion. Commitment. Focus. These are the core values that drive Völlig’s team. When you choose Völlig for service, you can trust that your car will be in expert hands. We work together with each customer to understand your goals and needs. Whether you are looking for a tune up for your family driver, or full track prep on your racecar, you will receive the Völlig guarantee of precision. Each team member provides unparalleled attention to detail on every aspect of your job.

Our services include:

• Maintenance

• Fabrication

•

• Track

Photo: Luis Vivar

Willow

Photo: Luis Vivar

by Andrew Weyman / Survivor

Practice on Friday? You betcha. It was a chilly morning so I put on my driving suit before leaving the hotel to avoid having to change at the track. When I unpacked my gear in the paddock, I realized that I left my driving gloves at home. Doh. Luckily, Joel Silverstein had an extra pair in his trailer. Karen Robinson reminded me that race guru Ross Bentley advises drivers to always have a spare pair of gloves when going to the track. I knew that. But I forgot. Along with my gloves. I won’t go into details about my driving but my new Stand 21 shoes are faster than my old ones. Along with Joel’s gloves, I did okay. Our new BSR tire stamps worked flawlessly as I roamed the paddock in search of everyone’s competition tires. Tires were laid out behind cars and the process went the smoothest it ever has. It was a great day. Saturday and Sunday? Well, let’s just say they were exercises in survival.

When I arrived at the track early Saturday morning it was still dark and the full moon glowed in the desert sky. I watched the moon go into hiding and the sun peek over the horizon. Even as the sun rose, it felt cold. Very cold. I admit that under normal conditions I usually feel chilly. It’s a good thing that I married a hot woman. The temperature read a balmy 26 degrees with a desert breeze adding a wind chill factor that felt like 26 below. I wore my Mechanix Wear hoodie over a POC fleece from 2008 in addition to my driving suit. A thin sheet of ice covered my car. Would the water in my expansion tank be frozen like it was at one of last year’s events? Luckily, not this time. My breath fogged my glasses. We survived cold weather at Willow in the past. We could certainly survive it again.

Photos: Andrew Weyman

The drivers meeting was well attended. President John Momeyer greeted us and VP of Motorsports Joe Wiederholt presented his meeting notes. Chris Emery of The Racers Safety Source donated a brand new Schuberth helmet to be raffled off. Ana Predescu was the lucky winner. 116 entrants dispersed to prep for their sessions. The Stand 21 guys set up their wares and I bought a new (spare) pair of gloves. I’ll remember to bring them to the next event. Unless I forget.

On-track activities started promptly at 8am and it began to warm up slowly, degree by degree. Practice went well. Orange BSR rookies Ryder Liu and Alistair Belton qualified P7 and P8 in their group. Impressive! Not surprisingly, Anders Hainer led the BSR battle in qualifying, followed by Rob Walker and Chris MacDuff. Aspasia

Zouras qualified 1st in GT5. Results for the 1st Orange race put Hainer, MacDuff and John Momeyer on the BSR podium. Don Kravig led GT5, followed by Zouras and Hambis Charalambous. Kravig is a veteran driver with more knowledge and experience than most. He really knows his way around Big Willow. Belton finished P9 and Liu unfortunately had some mechanical issues causing him to fall to P21. Several off-track excursions and on-track spins during the race added suspense and tested our driving skills. No major contact. But major yikes as Zouras passed me in T8 and then spun in T9 a few yards in front of me. I needed to avoid contact by detouring into the dirt. We survived.

Steve Parker made the mistake of forgetting to secure his hood pins for Red practice and, well, it wasn’t good. Parker is a mad genius who knows survival techniques like no one else. He fashioned a new hood out of plywood, with hood pins in place, and custom graphics. He was good to go. Bob Mueller (GT1) earned pole in Red qualifying, followed by Mike Monsalve (GT1) and Jason Chin (Prototype). Razvan Sporea led GT2 and sported a huge smile, Duane Selby nailed 1st in GT3, followed by the best-looking man in the POC, Eben Benade, and the forever smiling Brett Gaviglio. PDS Director Jim Salzer led

Photo: Luis Vivar

GT4. The Red race was action-packed. Benade was less than best-looking when he campaigned for the John Deere Award going through T9 and had to exit the race. I estimate that the dirt covering his car added twenty to thirty pounds. At the finish, it was Mueller, Monsalve and Eric Olberz in GT1. Roland Schmidt took GT2 as Sporea fell back 5 places. Selby took 1st in GT3, followed by James Buck and Steve Town. Salzer gained 13 positions to lead GT4, followed by Jim Steedman and Chet Kolley. Parker ended the race DNF, joined by Gaviglio, whose smile was a little less bright.

Winds started to kick up before Saturday’s second Orange race resulted in Hainer, Momeyer and Rookie of the Year Riley

Giocomazzi on the BSR podium. Rob Walker and Alex Filsinger started DFL and both gained 22 places. Those guys are fast. Zouras kept her pedal to the metal and took GT5. Matthew Hately threw his hat into the John Deere competition, along with Satakal Khalsa and David Allen. One of Hately’s radiators took a beating. The Vali crew got him back into good shape for his next race. I finished 12th in BSR but had a blast making several passes in T8 and T9. That felt good. Dinner at Dwain’s place was the perfect way to end the day.

Sunday morning was significantly warmer at 48 degrees but the track was slightly wet and a light sprinkle was still falling as we readied for practice. Most of the BSR drivers didn’t have rain tires or wipers. We were the first session up. After a quick discussion, some of us took to the track. Survival skills came into play. We braved the damp pavement, took it a little easier, and practice proved worthwhile.

As the morning wore on, gusty winds made themselves known in no uncertain terms. It was blowing fiercely and unpredictably. Orange qualifying was a mess. Wind gusts made it real tough to turn in to T8. After a driver dumped mounds of

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photo: Andrew Weyman

Photos: Luis Vivar

Background Photo: Don Matz

sand and rocks in T1, it was near impossible to lay down a decent lap. It was our typical split qualifier but the second group didn’t stand a chance. Not only was T1 a mess, a cone on the track in T5 and increasing wind gusts were all working against piloting a lap you could be proud of. I was following Karen Robinson through T8 when a powerful gust blasted us and I could see her roof starting to come loose and lift up. I backed off immediately thinking that if that thing blows off it could be real bad. Luckily, Karen noticed it in her rearview mirror and pulled off. Then there was the Exxon Valdez-type dumping of oil all over the racing line, throughout the course, making it a survival test like no other. For my first time, I experienced a 720-degree spin when I hit oil at the top of T4. It seemed like the spin would never end. Somehow, I stayed on the pavement. Drivers were sliding on and off the track everywhere you looked. The session was black-flagged. Luckily, no one sustained serious damage. BSR drivers Hately, Momeyer and Walker qualified best. It was Hately’s first starting pole. Congrats, again, Matthew. Well done. Zouras qualified 1st in GT5.

It took an hour to clean up the track. Blue and Green groups were combined to make up some time. Red qualifying had to be canceled. Red racers gridded up according to their fastest lap times in Saturday’s race. It was Chin (Prototype), Monsalve, Mueller and Olberz in GT1, Kevin Roush, Sporea and Schmidt in GT2, Selby, Town and Benade in GT3, Steedman, Salzer and Kolley in GT4.

Gusty winds continued to blast the track. The Orange race started with some contact in T1 and finished with Momeyer 1st in BSR, followed by Hainer, who started DFL and climbed 15 places to finish 2nd, with MacDuff right behind in 3rd. Rookies Liu and Belton, once again, had impressive showings finishing in 9th and 10th place. Ryan Moore struggled with keeping his car on the track and ended up

Photos: Luis Vivar

DNF. Charalambous took 1st in GT5 while Kravig, uncharacteristically ended up in the dirt on the inside of T8 and only completed 10 laps. As for me, note to self: do not hit your ignition cutoff switch while exiting T5 in the middle of a race and give up eight places.

The start of the Red race was classic. The winds continued to howl as the green flag flew. All that horsepower under the command of very talented and capable drivers squeezed through T1 with no problem. Respect. It was a good, clean race except for some minor contact. Gaviglio’s great smile faded when he did some offroading and had to retire early. The checker waved and Jimmy Lorimer took 1st in GT1, followed by Olberz and Alexandra Hainer. Sporea took 1st in GT2, followed by Ana Predescu and Schmidt. Selby ran away in GT3 followed by Benade and Brad Keegan. It was Salzer, Steedman and Kolley in GT4. Monsalve dropped 9 places but still had the fastest lap of the race. Tom Stone fought an epic battle in GT4 for last place with Don Matz (also GT4). Matz won that battle. Parker and Mueller did not run.

The Yellow, Blue and Green groups ran smoothly and many drivers showed great promise. Hopefully, some will choose to move up the ranks. Allan Soto (Mod 2) and Ryan Fitzgerald (BSR) in Yellow, and Angela Avitt (Mod 2) in Blue all nailed fast laps. The Green group included Mike Avitt (Mod 2), Gabe Zamora (Mod 2), Joseph Miller (GT3), Kelly Tribolet (GT3), Bob Gartland (GT3), Phil Gilsdorf (BSR) and Matt Juarez (BSR), all of whom demonstrated some serious skill behind the wheel.

We survived everything Mother Nature and the laws of physics threw our way. Cold, rain, wind, dirt, rocks, cones and oil couldn’t stop us from having a thrilling event. I can’t wait to get back on the track. Buttonwillow here I come.

Photo: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar Photos: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photo: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Green Mist

Many of us have felt it. Sometimes on the track. Red mist. The anger that clouds our judgement and leads us to bad decisions. It’s like grabbing a hot coal with the intent of hurling it at someone. Often, you’re the one who gets burned.

Many years ago, at Buttonwillow, I let red mist get the better of me. I made a very aggressive move to pass another car in T1. It ended in contact and a 13/13. That’s the last time red mist affected my decision making on the track.

I want to tell you about green mist. It’s something I kinda made it up. It’s not the WWE stuff spewed from the mouths of wrestlers. It’s not ammi visnaga, the botanical that resembles the common lace flower. And green mist is very different from the red variety. It’s the feeling of excitement, anticipation, and competition of a race weekend. Fist bumping paddock pals, inhaling exhaust, watching for the green flag to drop, going wheel-to-wheel, door-to-door, and bumper-to-bumper with an archrival. Seeing the checker flag wave and crossing the finish line just inches ahead of the car next to me. Laughing with my buddies during impound.

I instructed at the PDS/TT Streets event in January, attended the annual banquet two weeks later, and recently completed updating and revising the POC Performance Driving Series Manual. I raced in the season opener at Willow Springs and as I write this, I’m prepping for Buttonwillow.

Racing has become a huge part of my life. It’s taught me a lot about myself and offered opportunity after opportunity to push myself beyond my comfort zone, to expand and grow. Racing with the POC is a gift that keeps giving and feels sooooo good. I hope you feel it, too. Green mist.

NO COMPROMISES.

At Vali Motorsports in Corona California we offer everything needed to get to the track, be competitive and win races. We cater to anyone from entry level drivers starting out in PDS all the way to experienced club racers. Our focus is to provide the best possible outcome for our customers with safety, affordability, and reliance being of high priority. We make certain our drivers are able to compete to the best of their ability by providing full track support, storage, race prep and maintenance programs. We are in the business of making sure our customers can focus on what the pros do, be at every race and win championships!!

POC History In The Rearview Mirror

By Don Kravig, Precision Motion

Ken Miles

Carroll Shelby

Ghosts and legends of banquets past.

For those of you who missed it, the 2023 Awards Banquet held at Porsche of Irvine was an unqualified success. The food and service were first class, the facility was beautiful and the program was both entertaining and enlightening. Kudos to the event manager and Emcee, Chris Macduff, and his co volunteers. One of the best banquets of the thirty or so I’ve attended. Also congratulations to the new #1 car and driver Karen Robinson...the number looks great on you!

The 1959 awards dinner was held at the Cafe Paree and featured a singing quartet along with Can-Can dancing, as well as guest speaker Ken Miles. Ken’s Talk was on European and American Tracks and Drivers and his experiences driving the RS, the RSK and the 550 Spyder. His final comment was that no two Porsches were alike. Ken was the overall winner of a 6-hour race at Pomona that featured another POC legend: Michael Hammond. Ken shunted Mike off during the race and won by 10 laps. Three of the top four finishers were POC members!

Most of you know Ken from the recent film Ford versus Ferrari. What’s not very well known is that he basically helped layout Willow Springs and was a huge part of Porsche’s early domination of sports car racing in America.

A quote from Carroll Shelby: “Ken was world-class and the best test driver I ever knew, and I knew most of them in that era. He reminded me of Fangio in that regard.” Michael Hammond, the Legend, was #5 for most of his POC racing career in honor of Fangio.

Nico Silva unearthed an Instagram movie showing Ken Miles driving through turns 1 and 2 at WSIR... I’ll link to it here. Our 1996 Awards Banquet was held on the Queen Mary with Guest speaker Hurley Haywood (which featured a shunt between Haywood and Hammond!

Our 1998 Awards Banquet was held at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim and featured guest speaker two time Indy 500 winner Roger Ward. Roger was instrumental in bringing the POC to Ontario Motor Speedway where he was Public Relations Director.

Hurley Haywood above and below with our own John Payne at the grand opening of Porsche Irvine

Roger Ward

The 2008 Banquet was held at the Jonathan Club in Downtown L.A. It was reported that POC members cleaned up pretty well and mostly followed the dress code. Driver of the Year was Drew Waterhouse and Competition Points Champion was Leonard Schenkel.

Back to our 2023 awards banquet. Jim Steadman took home GT4 class honors. His Daughter Regan was our first ever female Boxster Spec winner. She also managed an Awards Banquet in 2014 and has gone on to a professional career in motorsports. Way to go Regan!

It was good to see Rookie of the Year Riley Giacomazzi sitting next to his father Mickey, they are both avid BSR competitors. Also the Hainers: Anders and Alexandra both trophied in BSR and GT1 respectively.

Throughout the year, Vali and Ana Predescu, Don and Scott Matz, Darin and Ryan Moore, Drew and Kip Waterhouse, the Kolbe’s and many others have competed across all the various levels of our sport. All are examples of multi-generation family competition. Our sport is quite unique in the way it fosters this kind of competition on a level playing field. All the disciplines required to learn and execute our sport seem to bring out the best in our children and grandchildren. I’m so glad the POC has fostered and promoted this over the years. And I can’t wait to teach my grandchildren the sport.

In closing let me leave you with a description of racing from one of our early members Scooter Patrick (undoubtedly influenced by a couple of stiff drinks at the bar): “Our sport is a little like trying to play high-speed chess in an airplane subject to G forces while executing perfect pitches and catching pop flies every two or three seconds.” But even that doesn’t really get the whole gist of it. Scooter, rest in peace my friend.

Until next time, see you in the rearview mirror!

Regan and Jim when they raced against each other at Spring Mountain in 2019... “before” and then “after” the race. Regan missed a shift right before the checkered flag and Jim beat her by a single length! (photos Don Matz)

Our prestigious panel at the 2023 Awards Banquet: Mike Hammond, Joe Catron, Rick Knoop and Don Kravig

Drew Waterhouse Leonard Schenkel

BUTTONWILLOW and a few gems from the past...

• In our Velocity December 1995 Issue we find the first mention of Buttonwillow which was supposed to feature a 3800 foot straight-a-way?

• In September 1997 we held our first Buttonwillow Speedfest and the first ever Buttonwillow 100 as well as a Racers Clinic.

• The Buttonwillow 100 featured the debut of our new race classes and was won by Kevin Roush and Trevor Colby in Colby’s #66 car.

• It is reported that Dwain Dement ran a 1:46.09 in a Red class car... no further details are available except that the car owner qualified it at a 1.51.3

• The 2008 Buttonwillow 100 had 25 entries and had Orange class cars finishing on the same lap with Red.

“Master Tech Tyson Schmidt with Over 25 Years of Porsche Experience”

Remember the Time

Image: Don Matz

POC Board of Directors Pass Motion for: MENTORING PROGRAM

By Martina Kwan

Do you remember the time when you first walked into the Porsche Owners Club? For me it was an exhilarating yet somewhat daunting experience.

There was a real sense of welcoming and structure so that I, as a newcomer, knew what to do and where to go. There was also a proper Driver’s Manual, which has most recently been improved. But mostly, there has always been a controlled process in place to help move drivers up the ladder from PDS to Time Trial and ultimately Cup Racing.

It’s important to remember, however, that when students are first licensed in any of these three series they are still novice drivers. They may be slow in the beginning but with time their “times” will improve and it’s also important that we consider this when we share the track with them.

What would be nice to see is having our more experienced drivers taking these newbies under their wings and showing them the ropes...like you may have wished for when you first started. After all, the club is based on volunteerism.

I encourage everyone to remember the time they started. At a POC Instructors Seminar, a few years back, Ross Bentley shared that the secret to helping a new driver was to “get inside his or her mind and see things through their eyes in order to have a positive impact on them.” It was the best way to help them improve and to insure your club would continue to grow and prosper.

The POC changed my life. It came at the perfect time. Did I wish things were a little different when I first started? Sure. But, I received a lot of help and I liked the direction in which the club was going. I believe that if we‘re willing to engage ourselves that in the long run we’ll all be better off for it.

Remember the time?

As a club, we strive to help our members achieve more on the track. We want everyone to become a safer, better, and faster driver. Over the past few seasons and at our Town Hall meeting, we have received much feedback about the safety of new and perhaps slower drivers. During the past few events, we have watched closely for drivers not meeting a minimum speed requirement. What is the minimum speed requirement? We are looking for drivers, not within 7% of the best laps being turned in your class. As you might already figure out, a lot goes into this, like considering how fast a driver is on Saturday versus how fast they are on Sunday after more time on the track. Overall, the issue we are trying to address is a safety concern. Drivers not within the speed requirements can become hazardous to others on the track as they are being lapped or passed by lower-class cars.

As a club member for 20 years, I am privileged to be running at the front end of my class, but I was not always there. It took years for me to move from the back of the pack to somewhere closer to the front, and I got there with seat time and input from my fellow drivers on how

MENTORING PROGRAM

to improve. Martina’s article this month should remind us of all the time we have spent with the POC, the knowledge we have gained, and the improvements we have made during our membership. Now the big question is, what do we do with drivers not meeting the minimum speed requirement? In true POC fashion, the answer is to give them some help! Two of our board members, Eben Benade and Steve Town, have been working to formulate a POC Mentor program. As we identify drivers out of the 7% range, we will be coming to talk to you about how we can help. We will pair you with another driver that can provide in-car instruction, and the POC will provide free track time in the Time Trial Open passing session to receive that instruction. If you would like to be a mentor, please see Eben or Steve at the next event and get on the list. As I stated at the beginning, as a club, we strive to help our members achieve more on the track. I hope that with the addition of our mentoring program, we bring everyone up to speed!

Photo Composite: Don Matz

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BIG WILLOW

Time Trial by STEVE EISLER

Willow Springs International Raceway, which opened in 1953, is the oldest permanent road course in the United States. There are 7 tracks at Willow Springs. The longest is Big Willow, a 2.50-mile road course that is unchanged from its original configuration. It features nine unique turns, substantial elevation changes and is billed as the Fastest Track in the West. It is frequently rented by professional teams for testing and has been used in the filming of several movies, including the recent hit, Ford Versus Ferrari.

On February 4 and 5, 15 PDS students and 39 Time Trial racers joined the Red and Orange race groups to challenge this historic track. Friday was a Test and Tune Day. Drivers who had purchased a 2023 Membership had unlimited use of the track, for the day, for $225. My car, Stan, had been thoroughly cleaned at the end of the year, and we were looking forward to making some improvements this weekend. I logged 134 miles in 6 sessions, was close to my best time, and had identified 3 areas where I knew I could improve on Friday. The weather, always a concern at Willow Springs, was beautiful on Friday and Saturday.

Saturday dawned clear and cold. Tires that had been out all night were very cold, and the first sessions for all groups were slow as drivers carefully warmed-up their tires, engines, and their minds. I was gridded 11 for the next session and only got 2 timed laps as the session was blacked flagged to remove a car that had been high-centered in a dangerous location. I was still 5 seconds slower than Friday and found that my left rear tire had picked up a long thin piece of metal and needed to be replaced. We put two older tires on the rear, got some lunch and prepared for session 3 where I was gridded 6. This looked like my opportunity to get out of traffic and records some decent times.

OOPS

Then there are two scraping noises and the car goes straight off the track, hits the apex cone and then spins in the dirt.

Photo: Steve Eisler

Number 4 on the grid did not show up, and the first three Porsches were much faster than me. Number 5 was a red Corvette that was just a few tenths ahead of my time. In the second lap, I caught up to him, and he graciously pointed me by, and I recorded my best time of the day. On lap 6 I was trying to carry more speed through turn 8. My video shows me passing the turn 8 corner station at 2 mph faster than my second lap. Then there are two scraping noises, and the car goes straight off of the track, hits the apex cone and then spins in the dirt on the inside of the track. Dirt and dust poured into the car, covered me, the windshield, and the exterior of the car. I restarted, positioned the car so that I could see the oncoming traffic, got across the track to the exit lane on the left. By the time I got to the grid exit point the left rear tire was flat and the right front wheel liner was dragging on the ground.

Back in the pits, we checked Stan for further damage and took some pictures of what had been a very clean car a few minutes ago. When I took off my balaclava there was a dark, dust oval around my eyes and nose, and it was hard to see through my glasses. The right rear tire had so many rocks and pebbles in the bead that we had to change that tire also. We decided to skip the last run and get the car ready for Sunday’s runs. I had another commitment on Sunday night at 5:00 pm, so we were planning on doing Warmup run 1 and just the first timed run with the Green group since they ran earlier than my Blue group. Then we would load-up and drive back to San Diego in time for the 5:00 pm party.

Photos: Steve Eisler

On Sunday morning, the infamous Willow Springs winds arrived. You could feel the wind moving your car during the practice run, and opening a car door was an adventure that depended on the direction of the wind. Kathy held onto my arm when we walked through the pits so that she would not be blown over. After an uneventful Blue group warmup, there was an oil spill that closed the track for over an hour.

At 11:00, the track was still closed, and there were two 30-minute qualifying sessions scheduled before the Green groups first Timed Run. We decided to load the car on the trailer, forfeit the 20 points, and head for home. As we finished loading, they announced a schedule change that moved the Green Timed Run to the next group to run when the clean-up was finished.

There were 30 drivers that recorded times on Saturday, and 8 of them were faster than 1:30. The fastest time of the day was Gabe Zamora in class GT2 with a time of 1:24.397. He was followed by the winner in GT3, Rob Walker –1:26. 31 and Mike Avitt, winner of Modified 2, with a 1:26.286. Matt Price, driving a Prototype, had the fourth fastest time of the day—1:26.332. The other sub-1:30’s were all from the class GT3: Bob Gartland 1:28.212, Joseph Miller 1:28.284, Kelly Tribolet 1:29.189, and Steve Town 1:29.478.

The top three of the 6 Boxster Spec drivers were Matt Juarez 1:36.710, Phil Gilsdorf 1:37.118 and Ryan Fisher 1:37.432.

Sunday’s modified schedule had 18 drivers scoring points, but times and standings were not available at publication time

My final totals for the weekend: Friday- 6 sessions, 48 laps, best time 1:41.27; Saturday sessions, 14 laps, best time 1:42.41, 2 destroyed tires and one destroyed wheel liner, 20 TT points; Sunday 1 session, 5 laps, best time 1:50.25, zero points. Every weekend is a new adventure. Sometimes you conquer the track and sometimes the track beats you! Can’t wait for Buttonwillow.

EPILOGUE

Photos: Steve Eisler

On Friday, February 24, I attended the DK Precision Driving School at the Streets of Willow track. The weather forecast for the weekend was grim, but Dwain and Martina had everything under control and promised that we would run, rain or shine. We arrived early on Thursday afternoon, unloaded Stan, and helped Martina set-up the meeting room at Streets for the event. Afterward, since there was still some daylight, Martina treated me to a tour of the newly repaved track. It was fantastic! New, smooth asphalt all the way around, much wider in critical areas like turns 4 and 5, entering the bowl, and coming down the waterfall. There are no cracks, no potholes and no curbs or gaiters. I was really looking forward to improving my time during the school.

Friday dawned with about two inches on snow on the tow-car. When we arrived at the track there was snow covering the ground, but the track was clear and wet. To ensure safety, the event was switched to running counter clock-wise. That avoided problems in corner 2 where many people had gone off the track since the repaving. It also made the waterfall an uphill climb into the bowl, instead of the very fast decent into turn 10. The track walk was, as always, one of the highlights of the school. It is amazing to see how high turns 2 and 8 are above level of the pits. Also, the banking in the bowl, which looks flat from inside the car, is very steep when you are standing in the middle of it! The temperature was in the middle 30’s with intermittent rain, yet everyone was jumping in and out of their cars at each stop to “soak” up all of the information that Martina and Dwain were presenting. Instructor Rick Knoop, who was riding in the back seat of Martina’s Cayenne with me, was one of many people that had underestimated the cold conditions, and was getting pretty miserable until I found the seat warmer buttons for the back seats!

After the track walk, we met in the classroom to discuss the track, passing rules, flag procedures, and answer questions. The first session was an easy run to learn the new configuration, find the wet and drier spots on the track and gradually find out how fast you could negotiate the track without spinning off. I followed Boxster Spec racer Ryan Fitzgerald for most of the session until he had a braking problem and he spun at the entry to turn 13. In the second session everyone went a little faster as they gained confidence and began to work on being smoother in their inputs to keep the car out of the snow. Throughout the day we had intermittent rain. In every session I used my windshield wiper for at least part of the session. In the fourth session, I had Dwain in the right seat for three laps. Then we changed positions, and he showed me how my car could be driven. In the classroom we discussed the few things I was doing right, and the three areas where I could make the most improvement. For the last session we decided to take advantage of the weather conditions and the huge SOW skid pad. At the bottom of the waterfall, there is an access road that goes straight down to the front straight. We left the skid pad, going counter clockwise, to turn 10, turned left and lined up on the access road. The starter was positioned at the end of the access road, and started us one at a time. Each driver turned left onto the track and accelerated as much as they wanted to, and tried to negotiate turn 13, the entry into the skid pad. The idea was to go fast enough that you could not make the turn and spun safely into the skid pad. Then dial it back a little and start to get rotation, correct and stop the rotation before going into a spin. I think everyone spun at least once. There were some understeer events, and many successful rotate and catch runs. After each run you went back to the end of the line to watch everyone else and wait your next turn.

It was a great way to finish a very successful event that gave the 10 students the opportunity to learn how to drive in the rain in a non-competitive environment with the help of professional instructors!

The Rules of Racing Abridged

FANS. DRIVERS. TEAMS.THE

Porsche racing:

It is one of the most competitive and accomplished racing programs in the world. From club racing at the local level, to professional racing on the biggest stages.

TEAMS.THE OBSESSION BEGINS.

It is how drivers climb the ranks, and how passionate owners experience the thrill of racing for the very first time. Watching. Driving. Competing as a team. There is a level of racing for every degree of obsession. This short YouTube video pretty much sums it up...

Now you can order your favorite POC garments and other specialty items “Online” simply by clicking on any one of the above photos!

SIMRACING 5Season Results

Jan 2 Magny-Cours

Jan 16 Hockenheim

Jan 30 Rudskogen

Feb 13 Road America

Feb 27 Sebring

Mar 13 SPA

(90 Minutes / 2X Points)

Mar 27 Mid-Ohio

Apr 10 Watkins Glen

(90 Minutes)

Apr 24 Long Beach

May 8 Fuji

May 22 Suzuka

(2X Points)

Jun 5 Motegi

Mark Rondeau

3rd Sagar Dhawan

1st

All club members with track experience or online sim racing experience are invited to participate – however, you will need an iRacing Membership and a simulator.

Road America

Sebring

SIMRACING

Buttonwillow

March 11-12, 2023

Great track, for many, it’s their favorite. Open to all series PDS, TT and Cup. Also, our first Racers Clinic for 2022 will be held at this event. Sign up early!

Register Today!

the PODIUM CLUB

April 14-16, 2023

A brand new track that we’ve never run before, and it’s in Arizona...that should get ya goin’! Dont miss this opportunity to set a track record!

Registration Open Soon!

And, don’t miss the Official POC Facebook Page with photos, videos and comments from our members.

by Don Matz Graphics

Be sure to check out the POC website for our 2020 schedule of events and to stay current on PDS, Time Trial and Cup Racing standings.