April Velocity Magazine - Issue 23-04

Podium Club

April 2023 / Issue 23-04

Note from the Editor:

No running water, no electricity, no cafeteria and minimal (expensive) racing fuel, yet everyone seemed to have a great time racing at the Podium Club in Arizona. This month, John Armstrong returns to Velocity to write an exciting article about the action both on and off the track. Included is Mark Adams’ personal adventure of pulling his car across the desert with his Tesla.

Andrew Weyman asks our members about their very “first” cars and receives interesting, often hilarious, responses.

Steve Eisler gives us a retrospective on last month’s “wet” Buttonwillow. And, Luis Vivar provides us with his “Throughthe-Lens” view of the POC.

Enjoy!

VELOCITY Staff

Editor / Art Director

Don Matz

Contributing Writers

John Armstrong

Mark Adams

Andrew Weyman

Steve Eisler

Luis Vivar

Contributing Photographers

Luis Vivar

Andrew Weyman

Cindrea Ileana Maria

Chet Kolley

Brett Gaviglio

Don Matz

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

www.PorscheClub.com

A PUBLICATION OF THE PORSCHE OWNERS CLUB

Cover Image: Luis Vivar /Don Matz

https://www.gmgracing.com

714.432.1582

Instagram: @gmgracing / Twitter: @gmgracing / Facebook: TeamGMG

Podium Club

Photo: Luis Vivar

Podium Club

John Armstrong

The ARIZONA ADVENTURE

It’s a new track, and we’re all excited. Some of us have watched video, some have even done sim racing on the track’s 2.32-mile configuration. But nobody has actually seen it before. The only problem is it’s in Casa Grande, Arizona, which turns out to be a 9-hour tow from home for me, starting in rush hour on Thursday from the West Side of LA and driving on I-10 through the night completely surrounded by big rigs. Fear and Loathing, anyone? Arriving at 3 AM, I get lost briefly on the dirt road leading to the track, and when I finally reach the gate, it’s locked of course. I sleep in the bed of my pickup for three hours until they open up at 6 AM, and after I pay my entrance fee and rumble to the paddock, I discover that one of my four trailer tires is completely shredded. I persuade myself that the puncture occurred near the end of the drive.

At 7 AM, after unloading, teching, and registering my car, I somehow stumble into the drivers meeting on time. By 9:15 I’m driving my first session of the weekend, trying to unscramble the 15 turns and commit them to memory. Let’s see, brake a lot later than you thought after you go over the hill into Turn 1, start very wide and apex late into the decreasing radius of Turn 2, and by all means get left immediately to set up for Turn 3. I’m constantly asking myself, should I be in second gear or third here? Third or fourth there? But what if I’m going to be downshifting again right away? Which ess is which? And sorry about blowing the checkered flag--I was just following the guy in front of me and didn’t see the exit right after the last turn. All I can say is, thank goodness for five sessions of practice on Friday.

The Podium Club, which caters to private members, is billed as “Arizona’s only permanently-zoned-for-racing motorsports complex,” and while there isn’t much more than a racetrack there now, the master plan calls for private garages, condos, and much like Spring Mtn, multiple track configurations. But wait, there’s more. Luxury homes, a hotel, an industrial park, and yes, even a private airstrip and hangars are on the horizon.

54 POC drivers turned up to race at Podium Club. And the mid-April weather couldn’t have been better: blue skies with temps in the high 70s and low 80s.

April 2023

Photo: Luis Vivar

I asked POC President John Momeyer why the club had decided to book an event at Podium Club. “If they build it, we will come,” he replied. Knowing that it would be difficult for the POC membership to show up in huge numbers, the Board partnered with an Arizona PCA chapter to share the three-day track costs. PCA produced 70 drivers. Because we were sharing, we had to give up sessions normally reserved for our Time Trialers and PDS Drivers. Thus, we had only Red and Orange Cup racers at Podium Club. Still, we had a turnout of 54 POC drivers. To sweeten our visit, the Porsche dealership in nearby Chandler offered everybody free breakfast and lunch on Saturday. And the mid-April weather couldn’t have been better: blue skies with temps in the high 70s and low 80s.

The Orange races pitted two familiar rivals against one another, plus a panting pack of hunting hounds snapping at their heels. Anders Hainer, former pro driver, POC Driver of the Year, and reigning Boxster Spec champ (four years in a row, in fact), would be facing off against the upstart James McCloughlin, a 21-year-old junior finance major at Texas Christian University.

In qualifying for the first Orange race Saturday, Anders uncharacteristically came in fifth behind pole-sitter Nick Khilnani, Scott Craig, Chris Bason, and Joe Wiederholt. And James uncharacteristically qualified sixth. Riley Giacomazzi, a driver still in his teens, qualified seventh. Anders admires all these drivers. Indeed, all seven of them qualified within .9 second of one another. But Anders is used to being on pole. He said his car just didn’t feel right. He couldn’t get it to stick. As he put it, “Either my car wasn’t set up exactly right, or I ran out of talent.” In any case, he made a few suspension adjustments before the race. The start of the Orange race was a mess. Momeyer declared, “It was the worst start I’ve ever seen.” One of the drivers up front—who shall remain nameless—swerved way wide to the left long before the green flag came out, then jumped the green flag itself by a couple of seconds. Realizing his mistake apparently, he then slowed back into his original position. Other drivers reacted in confusion as the pack thundered down the first straight and over the blind hill five wide into the fast Turn 1 lefthander. The race was not black flagged at that point, perhaps because there was no carnage and everyone more or less retained their original positions.

Photo: Luis Vivar

Photo: Chet Kolley

James went on the attack immediately. Going through Turn 1 he noticed that Anders’ car on his inside looked unsettled, and he decided to pounce. He got a nice line going through the decreasing-radius Turn 2, and set himself up for a successful pass coming out of Turn 3. Once past Anders, he began picking off the other leaders. A few laps later, a couple of cars had major offs, and dirt and gravel were flying everywhere. Andrew Weyman described his dread as he approached: “Driving into the dust cloud was like being sucked into a sand storm. Brake lights were obscured by the cloud, and I steered to the left to avoid rear ending the car in front of me that I couldn’t see. I came to a full stop and then found my way back to the racing line.” Luckily, Andrew didn’t get rear ended. Someone’s bumper wound up on the track, and this time the race was black flagged and restarted in single file. After the restart, James had to get by Riley, who had slipped ahead of him, and then Scott Craig. By this time James had realized that the inside line in Turn 1 was the fast line, and he claimed it as the three drivers went around the corner three-wide.

Now James was in the lead, but Anders was still a factor. Anders discovered that his car had begun to perform much better, and he worked his way through the pack thoroughly enjoying himself. Anders told me, “It’s much more fun—and less stressful--to chase than be chased.”

Soon Anders was glued to James’ tail, but try as he might, he couldn’t get by him. Anders said James drove really well—and quite defensively. “He’s just a natural. We’ve been going back and forth for two or three seasons now, and he’s learning from my defensive driving. Maybe I shouldn’t have shown him my moves.” Neither driver flinched, and James crossed the finish line a scant .244 second ahead of Anders. Scott Craig ran a consistent race and held the third position, just 2.752 seconds back.

Photos: Luis Vivar

James, who grew up in Carlsbad, caught the racing bug in eighth grade when his dad Jim sent him to kart racing school at Sonoma for a weekend. Years later Jim joined the POC with a Spec Boxster and went through the entire POC instruction process, from PDS to Time Trial to Cup School. James loved attending POC events, and six months later he too had a Spec Boxster. He zipped through the tutelage program and came out blazing. He told me, “I discovered that I enjoy perfecting the skills required of a race car driver, and I relish the special feeling I get when driving at speed through corners side by side with other cars.” He also developed a strong taste for winning races, and by age 19 he was already challenging Anders for top dog in Boxster Spec. James attributes his competitive drive to his high school years when he participated on both the surfing and lacrosse teams.

For the second Orange race on Saturday, the grid was determined by the drivers’ fastest laps in race one. The front cars were essentially the same group that had headed the grid in the first race, with a little reshuffling. Anders was now on pole, having turned a 1:47.675 in the race. James started in second position, followed by Chris, Riley, Nick, and Scott. Both Anders and James pushed as hard as they could the entire race, but fortune favored Anders this time. Once the green flag dropped, Anders grabbed the inside line in Turn 1, and James never had a chance to pass him. In the final laps he thought he might have an opportunity, but he got stalled lapping GT5 and GT7 cars that Anders negotiated more cleanly. Anders maintained his car-length lead and finished 2.967 seconds ahead of James. Chris Bason finished third, nine seconds back, followed by Scott, Nick, and Riley.

On Sunday, Anders again qualified on pole, turning the fastest Boxster lap of the weekend: 1:45.625. Scott qualified second just ahead of James, with the usual suspects Nick and Chris right behind them. In the first lap, James wasted no time in going after Scott. As Anders pulled ahead on the inside of Turn 1, James freighttrained behind him, more or less easing Scott outside. Emerging from Turn 1, James was ahead of Scott, and now he found himself once again chasing Anders for the victory. As James put it, “We were racing at the absolute threshold of our tires. It was very tight.”

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photo: Cindrea Ileana Maria

Anders remarked that racing with James was so tight that “There was just a hair between our mirrors. They might have touched.” Both drivers professed great respect for and trust in one another’s judgment and skill. Those factors enable them to race so close and have a blast.

In the end, Anders prevailed. In a repeat of the circumstances of the previous race, Anders got away while lapping the slower cars in the final laps. He beat James by 1.403 seconds. Nick, who hung close throughout the race, took the third step on the podium, finishing less than half a second behind James. Again illustrating the closeness in the Boxster Spec field, Chris finished less than half a second behind Nick, with Riley just a second and a half behind Chris.

GT5 had three competitors in the three Orange races. Don Kravig edged Neal Rouzier by 2.7 seconds in the first race. Don beat Neal again in the second race by a wide margin. However, Neal got the last laugh, shading Don by a mere 1.25 seconds in race three. In the sparse two-car GT7 class, all three races were won by Randy Bergum over Glenwood Gum. In Carrera Spec the lone driver Doug Volder finished—and thus won—the three races in his class.

Each of the weekend’s Red races had split qualifying sessions; one for GT1 and GT2 cars, the other for GT3 and GT4 cars. Mike Monsalve, two-time Driver of the Year and reigning GT1 champ, qualified on pole for the 11-car GT1 and GT2 start with a remarkable 1:29.239. Loren Beggs, who qualified second, only managed to get one hot lap in before his brand new right front tire went flat. Alexandra Hainer, who is always in the mix for a podium finish, qualified third.

In the Red GT3/GT4 qualifying session, Duane Selby, who had won the last six races in a row, took pole with a 1:35.492 in his GT3-class car. Brett Gaviglio, enjoying the heck out of his new-to-him 996 Cup car with fascinating mods including a turbo, paddle shifters, and enormous wing qualified second in 1:36.053. “You know what they say about big wings,” Brett cracked. Reigning GT3 champ

Eben Benade qualified less than .2 second slower than Brett. Brad Keegan blew his motor in qualifying.

As is customary, the Red race itself was staged in separate starts, with the GT1/GT2 cars heading out about ten seconds earlier than the GT3/GT4 cars. To cut to the chase, Mike led throughout the race with his usual brilliant consistency, and he won by 8.5 seconds.

Photo: Luis Vivar

Photos: Brett Gaviglio

Photo: Cindrea Ileana Maria

Loren, who had replaced his front right tire with a used one for the race, suddenly discovered that his front left tire had gone flat--in the first lap! He was able to retire from the race safely—but both of his new front tires had been destroyed. Meanwhile, Alexandra took second place in GT1, barely holding off Dan Aspesi who finished a half second behind her.

The first GT2 finisher was Ana Predescu who beat family friend Razvan Sporea by .3 second. Bryan Van Noy placed a distant third in GT2. Ana, who drives a 997.2 Cup car, formerly owned a 997.1 Cup car and competed in GT3 class. She really liked the class. However, an incident she had during a practice session at COTA resulted in her having to switch cars and trade up to a 997.2, after not being able to find an equal replacement. The new car boosted her to GT2 class and presented challenges for her in Saturday’s race. In lap two she suddenly felt like she had lost grip on all right-hand turns. “The car would understeer, then snap oversteer,” she told me. “And the dash gauge flashed a water temperature warning.”

Ana’s dad Vali told her on the radio that he saw a fine spray of water coming from the car. Something apparently had hit the radiator, causing a crack. She asked him what she should do.

“It’s your call,” he told her. She drove on. And won. Fortunately the crack was minor. “It was my hardest race yet,” she said, “because I could barely turn right. But I learned to adapt and held on.”

Ana, who graduated in 2021 from UC Riverside with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, has a very interesting job working for Virgin Galactic. In fact, right after the final race on Sunday, she had to drive out to Mojave to monitor a test flight. No, Richard Branson was not present.

In the GT3/GT4 portion of Saturday’s Red race, the starter flew the green flag a little late. Selby on pole had been rolling slowly as he led the pack up to start/finish. Brett had just upshifted to third gear when the flag came out, and his turbo had already kicked in. Fate had given him perfect timing. He poured on the heat and was able to beat Duane to the inside line on Turn 1. Brett managed to stay ahead of Duane throughout the race, sometimes by as much as five seconds. But Duane was always in touch, and he was able to make up time in the latter laps as the two threaded their way through slower and lapped traffic.

Photos: Luis Vivar

POC legend, Leonard Schenkel, who now lives in the Pheonix area, made a rare appearance at the track on Sunday.

At one dramatic point, Peter Chiekowski spun directly in front of Brett. Brett told me afterwards, “I had to make an instant decision. I calculated that if I just continued going straight, Peter’s car would slide away to one side before I hit him. My gamble paid off, and I barely had to slow down.” Duane wasn’t quite so lucky, and he had to drive off track to avoid a collision with Peter. Impressively, though, Duane got right back on track with barely a hitch, and soon was dogging Brett again. In the last corner of the final lap, Brett and Duane had to dodge a damaging collision between GT4 drivers Tom Stone and Jim Steedman, which took both Tom and Jim’s cars out of the race. Duane eased up there, and Brett prevailed in GT3 class. James Buck took third.

Jim Salzer, who apparently also survived a little contact with Stone earlier in the race, held on to win in GT4. Lenny Loftin took second. Jim Steedman earned third place because two other GT4 drivers had completed fewer laps. Tom was DQd.

Before Sunday’s Red race Loren Beggs had a revelation. He figured out why he had gotten two flat front tires on Saturday. He had just purchased new aftermarket wheels and had them powdercoated black. He had practiced on scrub tires on older rims on Friday, but on Saturday he had used the new rims for the first time, with his sticker tires. The new front rims didn’t hold the tire bead under extreme g-forces and cold starting pressures of 19 PSI, probably because the powdercoating was too slick or thick.

The gentlemen’s agreement in Red racing is that nobody can use more than one set of new tires on a weekend. This agreement mercifully prevents us from spending $5,000

on tires each racing weekend (not that many of us would want to). So for Sunday qualifying, and for the race, Loren would run his scrub tires in front with the old rims, and in the rear he would have his almost new tires. Translation: He was going to have problems turning in with the older front tires, but with fresher rears than anybody else in the race, the rear grip would put the horsepower to work on the straights. It’s also worth mentioning that Loren had just purchased his race car, a 2021 992 GT3 Cup car and had only done one test day in it. He was still learning the systems, and he had yet to figure out how to hold the half-steering wheel without cramping his thumbs.

In GT1/GT2 qualifying, Monsalve took pole with the fastest lap of any car all weekend: 1:27.846. Loren qualified in the number two position, with a 1:28.678. Alexandra qualified third, a little more than a second behind Loren.

When the race began, Mike immediately commanded the lead. Alexandra quickly attacked Loren, passing him in the early laps as he tried to adjust to his unusual tire configuration. Alexandra stayed close to Mike and ahead of Loren for four laps, but eventually Loren was able to get by her and affix his nose to Mike’s tail for the next four or five laps. But Loren couldn’t get a run on Mike coming out of the last corner onto the front straight because he couldn’t get a good turn-in on that corner. Thus, he couldn’t pass Mike where he hoped to, on the inside in Turn 1. Not that Mike, a very crafty defensive driver, was going to give him anything easily, anyway.

Photo: Luis Vivar

But three quarters of the way through the race, Loren finally got those new rears to power him past Mike in the limited distance between Turns 3 and 4, and he held on for the overall win. The margin of victory is a little hard to discern because Loren’s rented transponder had run out of battery power by the end of the race. Alexandra took third place.

In GT2 class, Ana had qualified .4 seconds faster than Razvan, but she missed a shift during the race in the esses and briefly went off track. She recovered quickly, but Razvan was already past her, and he won by 3.6 seconds. Brian van Noy garnered third. In GT3/GT4 Sunday qualifying, Brett Gaviglio (who actually slipped out and qualified with the GT1/GT2 drivers), took pole position with a 1:34.376—the fastest GT3 lap of the weekend. He did it on his first and only hot lap. He never even got the tire pressures over 25 pounds. He knew he wouldn’t get any faster than that, so he immediately came into the pits to save his tires for the race. According to Brett, Duane Selby was already aware of Brett’s qualifying time when he went out to qualify with the next group. Duane stayed out the entire qualifying session trying to better Brett’s time, but he fell short by .68 second.

In the race, Brett decided to take the outside lane on pole, which he later admitted was a mistake, since it allowed Duane to get ahead of him on the inside in Turn 1. Brett also confessed that he erred leading the grid onto the front straight just before the race started. He felt he was going too fast, and he hadn’t left enough of a gap after the GT1/ GT2 racers. Indeed, as we came onto the straight, I saw the starter waving the green flag. I’m so far back in the pack I usually don’t even see the green flag. So when I saw it this time, I joyfully stomped on the accelerator, as did Scott Matz, who was gridded just ahead of me.

As I maneuvered around Scott and passed the whole field for the race lead, I was baffled as to why everyone else had slowed down. Then I noticed that the starter had tucked the green flag away. Our race had not yet officially started. Scott and I had jumped the start. As we passed the starter, he finally flew the green flag again. It was only after the race was over that I learned that the starter had kept the green flag out too long for the GT1/GT2 racers. That initial green we saw had not been intended for us. Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed leading the entire GT3/GT4 group for a few turns for once. But alas, Scott and I were blackflagged and had to do a stop-and-go in pit lane. Scott and I would finish the race two laps down.

Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, Duane led the race after Brett gifted him the inside position into Turn 1, and they had quite a battle for a while. In addition to being a superb driver, Duane has the widest car in the club, which provides him a lot of grip in the turns. But Brett’s car, according to Brett, has 25% more torque leaving a corner, and it has better grip due to the massive wing and exceptionally large tires. Brett managed to pass Duane around lap four with a nail-biting, late-brake inside pass in Turn 1, and he kept the lead all the way to the checkered flag. James Buck at some point squeezed ahead of Duane to take second place, and Duane wound up finishing third in GT3. The GT4 victory went to Jim Salzer again, followed by Lenny Loftin again. A hard-charging Mark Adams, who had recovered from an earlier off in the race, took third. Every driver I talked to said they loved this technical track, and they would return. Some raved about the flow, others about the good mix of straights and turns. The track is tight, they all agreed, but there are passing opportunities. Drivers also complimented the safety aspects of the track. The runoffs were wide and flat, the surface was billiard smooth, the curbing was consistent and not too high (to accommodate motorcyclists), and there was nothing to hit. Perhaps the best quote came from Brett Gaviglio: “Of course you like the track when you win on it.”

Negative comments were few. Some drivers told me they thought the track was slippery, especially in the afternoon, due to the relative newness of the asphalt or the fineness of the aggregate. Bill Tybur, the Director of Marketing at Podium Club, did tell me that the track currently has two layers of asphalt, known as “lifts.” A third lift will be added eventually, which could make a difference in grip.

I personally gasped when track management told me they were selling 100-octane gas for $18 a gallon. And there was unanimous agreement that it would have been quite nice to have running water and flush toilets. Hopefully those items will be given the highest priority in the grandiose master plan, and we will enjoy them on our next visit.

Photo: Luis Vivar

By Mark Adams

The trip to Podium Club was quite the adventure hauling my 2007 997.1 GT3 Cup Car behind my Tesla!

The motor blew up in March of last year due to the fuel cell sponge disintegrating and clogging the fuel pump. Unknowingly, this slowed me down under full throttle, causing the engine to lean out and finally blow. Dan and Lance Aspesi had been working on the car for almost a year to get it track-ready.

The reason why I decided to tow my own car was because I recently bought a 2019 Tesla Model X and used it to tow my Cup Car in an open trailer a few weeks earlier to Willow Springs for testing. It was a great experience. I only had to stop once for charging, I didn’t even feel the car behind. It was just a lot of fun. We didn’t set the suspension up and didn’t even fill the shocks with nitrogen. I was on old slicks and still ran two seconds faster than my last race there! So, I was very excited to race the next weekend and decided to tow my car to Podium Club.

Photos: Mark Adams

When I arrived to pick up my car on Thursday The open trailer already had a car on it so I used a closed trailer this time. The trailer weighed about 3000 pounds and my car weighs about 2600 lbs. So a total of 5600. This was a very bad idea because I didn’t take the wind drag into consideration. It changed my range by about 50%! I left Speed Gallery, Dan Aspesi’s shop, at 4 PM in North Hollywood. Our first charge was in Pasadena. There was a lot of traffic...we never got above 35 mph. The next stop for charging was about 60 miles later in Redlands. It was already 10 pm. I was disappointed in the range but figured it was due to the stop-and-go traffic. From here on it would be a “Breeze.” Boy was I wrong. When the road finally opened up I decided to set the cruise control at 75 and make up some time. By the time we got to Indio (65 miles) we needed to stop again. It was decision time. I used my phones’ calculator to try and estimate the difference between the actual mileage and the mileage that showed on the range for the car. It looked like the range was about 90 miles of actual driving at 75. The next charging statiion was 97 miles in Blythe. There was no where to stop along the way for charging. I decided to go for it but slow the speed down to 65. I never felt so much anxiety about running out of fuel in my life. After about halfway, I realized that I wasn’t going to make it so I shut off the air conditioning and unplugged the cell phone. I kept resetting my trip odometer and doing the calculation to see how short we were going to be and what speed would be best. I kept slowing down and finally got to 45 mph but It looked like we would still be about 6 miles short. It was just open desert with nowhere to stop. The car showed 0 miles when My son Georgio, with his level head, said “Dad why don’t we just pull over and plug in the 120 adapter and use a regular house plug?”. So I pulled off at the first exit where we spotted a truckstop and fuel station. We pulled into the first station but they wouldn’t allow us to plugin. We drove across the street to another gas station and the gentleman was kind enough to allow us to plug-in to one of his recepticles. The gauge indicated the car

was charging at about 2 mph, and we need to go another 6 miles, which meant we would actually have to charge for 14 miles (7hours) in order to make it. So we tilted our seats back and went to sleep. When we woke about 7 AM, the car had about 12 miles of range so we had to wait yet again. Once we had enough to make it to the supercharger we could finally breath again!

After that, we stopped 20 miles later at the next charger in Quartzite to “top off” before leaving on the 104 miles to Buckeye. We cruised at 45 MPH with the hazards on, watching the semis (and my practice sessions) pass us by. Once we landed in Buckeye we started charging and saw the next stop was in Gila Bend, about 35 miles further down the road. In order to make it to Attessa we decided to charge for only 10 minutes and then do a full charge in Gila Bend. Of course, the charger started acting up and was only charging at a third of the normal rate. So, we stayed there for the longest 30 minutes watching yet another practice session go by. Once we got to Gila Bend it looked like we would arrive at 4pm and the last practice was at 4:20 (my car number) so I suited up at the Carl’s Jr. waiting for the car to charge and then hauled ass to Atessa doing a whopping 55 mph. We made it right at 4 PM.

I jumped in my car at 4:20 and got to enjoy the last practice session of the day. The race car ran perfectly the entire weekend. The only errors were mine by getting overly excited with my first competitive car setup, as witnessed by my four wheels off when attempting to heat up the tires during my first qualifying lap. I wound up qualifying P2 by 1/10th of a second, although I ultimately ran the fastest GT4 lap of the weekend. During the race, by the time I settled in, I was almost a full lap down. I kept pushing and finished third in my class that day. It was my most enjoyable POC event ever!

To round out an almost perfect weekend, my son Georgio got to drive in PDS in his spec Boxster for the first time. Now we are both really looking forward to competing in GT4 next year!

Photos: Luis Vivar & Chet Kolley (insert)

Photo: Luis Vivar

Photo: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photo: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photo: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

Photos: Luis Vivar

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!!

My FirstCar

I heard about a feature that was run in The New York Times about readers’ first cars. I’ve always looked back on mine with lotsa love so I thought I’d ask some POC members about their first cars. Here’s some of what they told me…

Me: My first car was a seriously used white 1963 Rambler American Classic 440 I bought from my brother for $100. He bought it two years earlier from our Uncle Harry who bought it new in ’63. MSRP was $2,090. It was Motor Trend’s Car of the Year.

Getting it to start in the morning took super-human knowledge and engineering trickery. I tucked it in at night by opening the front hood and covering the motor with a blanket for warmth. I’d spread a shower curtain on top of the closed hood, held down with bricks I ‘borrowed’ from the construction site around the corner, to help prevent moisture from collecting on the wiring harness and under the distributor cap. If I didn’t perform my nightly ritual, the car would sit there and mock me.

I painted its bounty of body rust with a spray can of Red Devil enamel. The car looked like it had a contagious skin disease hydrocortisone couldn’t cure. The FlashO-Matic 3-speed transmission had given up its reverse gear so parallel parking was always challenging. I had to open the driver’s door, stick my leg out, and push my left foot forward to go backward. The window cranks constantly fell off, but the back of the front bench seat folded flat to the rear bench seat forming a very comfy queen size bed. Details about how I was able to make use of it are available upon request.

I loved that car.

Sandy Isaac: I bought my first car, a 1970 Toyota Corona in faded Mucous Green, for $200. It consistently transported me and 3 friends from the Palisades up Pacific Coast Highway to Ventura County Line with 4 surfboards strapped to the roof even with its cracked block, running on 3 cylinders.  One night as a prank, friends filled my hubcaps with rocks which made driving to school the next morning sound like I was piloting a popcorn popper. On a date once, the shift knob broke off in my hand. I replaced it with a ball of masking tape. It never stranded me once. It jump-started my father’s Maserati Ghibli Spyder numerous times. I sold it 4 years later for $200 and hated to see it drive away.

Herb Cunitz: My fist car was a 1969 black VW Beetle that I repainted black and gold and added “Herbie” graphics. The exhaust and heater fused together somehow, and I often had to deal with asphyxiated passengers. I bought it for $600 and sold it for $2,000. I took that money and bought an MGB.

John Momeyer: If my memory serves me correctly, I was fourteen and-a-half and spent $500 of my own money to buy a 1972 Plymouth Duster with a slant six engine. I worked on that car in my backyard for the next year and-ahalf before I had my license and could drive it. I replaced the carpet and seat covers and spent hours beautifying the engine compartment. I remember sitting on the wheel well with my feet hanging down next to the side of the engine. There was so much space under the hood. I don’t think I

drove it for six months when the transmission gave out. It was a $1,500 repair job that my dad was not too happy to pay for after spending only $500 on the car. There were always different makes and models around the house that we drove or sold, since my dad would buy cars at auto auctions. My last car in high school that stuck with me for years was a Datsun 280Z. I owned a few different 280Zs until the late ‘90s. That’s when I bought my first Porsche, a blue 1988 944, which I still own and drive today.

Tom Stone: I bought a used 1976 Datsun 620 pickup in 1999 for $900. I drove it on trips through California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon with my friends. The truck had no mods and boasted a 93hp motor. I traded Dad my Datsun for his pickup. Dad kept the Datsun for years, handed it down to a nephew and it stayed in the family for a long, long time.

Chris MacDuff: I had saved over $3,000 during the summer of ’85, leading up to my 17th birthday. I desperately wanted the ‘68 Camaro (maroon with black rocker panels) that was for sale a few blocks from my parents’ house. Delusions of grandeur filled my head in anticipation of owning it. I dreamt of rolling on to the high school grounds and into the parking lot. I imagined that, in the fall, everyone would be hanging out front. Some kids smoking, others kicking a hackie sack around. I’d drive up and be the coolest kid at school. When I went to look at the Camaro with my dad, he simply said, “No way.” My first car ended up being an ‘84 Rabbit Diesel. How dare he tell me, at 17, how to spend my money! For the record, both the Camaro and the VW were priced at $3,000.

Jim McLaughlin: My first car was a 1968 Oldsmobile 442 with Hooker, Holley and Hurst mods. The car only went in a straight line. It wouldn’t turn and the brakes were, well, not brakes. It was impossible to stop. I owned it during a gas crisis and on a good day I got 4 miles to the gallon, but it looked cool! I did lots of stupid stuff with that car.

Joe Wiederholt: My first was a 1973 Super Beetle. I saved for several years and finally got my parents’ permission to buy a car. I had never driven a manual but drove it home from the used car dealer. That was a bit of an adventure. Living in the Midwest, I quickly learned that a rear engine car had good traction in the snow but understeered like crazy. The car was underpowered and probably unsafe but was inexpensive to purchase and operate. You could fix anything with a wrench, pliers, wire and tape. I rebuilt the motor and put in a big bore kit, a hot cam, “Blue” coil and a Holley carburetor. Finally, I could go up hills without downshifting. I eventually sold the car for more than I paid for it when I got my first “real” job in San Diego. The photo of me with my car was taken after I won my first bicycle race. We had a lot of great adventures traveling together.

John Armstrong: Growing up in San Marino in the 60s, I was deeply envious of several high school classmates who had Volkswagen buses with custom beds in the back and curtains on all the windows for privacy on Friday and Saturday nights with their girlfriends. The curtains also were good for deceiving law enforcement when my friends parked illegally overnight at Newport Beach with their surfboards. The savvy cops would rock their buses violently to flush them out, but my friends would remain motionless until the cops went away frustrated. Those young guys had so much fun. But me? I was not allowed to have a car in high school. My parents told me a car would affect my grades, and I was meant to study.

I didn’t get my first car until I was a sophomore in college in Boston. It was circa 1972 when I acquired one of those tiny 60s-era Datsun pickups for $600. It was a

weak, four-cylinder job with a teensy cab, and it had a bench seat. No back seats.

In those days, my roommate and I were intrepid skiers (actually still try to be) and one spring break we took off from Boston and drove straight to Alta, Utah. One of us drove while the other slept and going at top speed of about 65 mph, we covered the 2,364.2 miles in 37 hours. Then we skied for a week and drove back in the same manner to resume our studies. The little Datsun never complained.

As we crossed the plains of Nebraska on I-80 on a bitterly cold night listening to bootleg cassette tapes of the Grateful Dead, my roommate and I pulled over for a half-frozen hitchhiker carrying only a briefcase. With limited space in the cab, we told him he would have to ride in the pickup bed. He agreed, and we passed him a sleeping bag. After about an hour, we heard a loud bang on the rear window. The hitchhiker was gesturing urgently for us to pull over.

We did so. He announced that he would freeze to death in the back and for the love of god, let him sit in the front. So we all crammed into the front, and while I drove, he opened up his briefcase and we saw what was inside. It was full to the brim with hashish. It turns out he was a dealer trying to get to Cheyenne to make some sales. That changed the complexion of that long night.

We never did fully understand why he was hitchhiking at all in that merciless, windswept blackness. After a while, it didn’t seem to matter.

Steve Town: bought my first car in 1979. It was a ‘66 VW bug that cost me $300. It had the standard 1285cc 50 hp engine. I drove it from California to Oklahoma. Attempting to make it up inclines in Arizona and California, with my foot to the floor, I managed to hit all of 35-40 mph. What I didn’t realize was, that car was my first ‘Porsche.’ I wish I still had it!

Steve Eisler: In 1965, I bought my first car, a 1963 MG Midget. It came equipped with a 1098 cc engine that produced 56 hp and a top speed of 91 mph. It had a canvas top that attached to the windshield and stretched over a metal frame that was ‘erected’ and fitted into brackets behind the seats. The back of the top attached to snaps on the rear deck. It had plexiglass side curtains that had to be opened to

open the doors, since there were no exterior door handles. Driving the car taught me how to double-clutch, heel and toe down shift, and due to a weak starter, how to pop the clutch to get it started. It also gave me a life-long appreciation for the thrill of driving a sports car.

My parents’ best friends were an older couple, Dick and Bernice, who visited almost every week to talk and play bridge. One evening Bernice asked if she could have a ride in my MG. I was thrilled to show her the difference between a sports car and her husband’s Chrysler 300! Bernice was about 60 and looked just like what you would imagine a person named Bernice would look like. She was short, impeccably dressed, had a chain attached to her glasses, and had her hair done every week in a grey color with a slight purple tint.

The top was down, so my mother loaned her a scarf, even though I doubt the wind could have had any effect on that hairdo. We were having a nice drive until we came to a left turn. There was no traffic, so I approached the corner without braking, flicked the toggle switch on the dashboard to activate the turn signal, rolled on the brake, depressed the clutch to shift to neutral, blipped the throttle, shifted into second, turned in, applied the gas, and flicked the toggle switch off. As I turned-in

I heard a gasp from the passenger seat. I doubt that Bernice had ever experienced lateral G-forces in a car before! When we got home, I helped her out of the car, and she graciously thanked me for the ride. She never asked for another one.

Don Matz: On Christmas morning, 1962, my grandmother asked me to change the light bulb in the angel on top of our tree. I stood on a stool and found car keys hanging from the back of the angel. I looked out the window and down the street sat this robin’s egg blue 1953 Ford

with a gigantic red cellophane ribbon on the door. My dad paid 150 bucks for it. Three-on-the-tree, for those who remember. I didn’t realize you had to put oil in those things so a few months later I blew the engine... Now I know

Scott Matz (courtesy of his dad): Scott’s first car was a harvest goldavocado green ‘72 Toyota long bed hand-me-down. It sat in front of our house for so long cobwebs had formed between the pavement and tires. We removed the huge camper from the bed and Scott had the truck painted white, stem-to-stern. After decking it out with special wheels and a sound system that seemingly included every speaker known to man and an over-sized amplifier, the truck “looked” awesome but redefined “loud.” The windows on our house rattled when he pulled into the driveway. Actually, the sound system pulled so much power that the head lights barely lit. So, I offered to take the truck to work with me one day and have a professional car electrician remedy the problem. After I left the electrician, the following day, I was traveling back to work on Imperial Boulevard in Brea when black smoke started coming from under the dash board. I pulled the truck over, turned it off, applied the hand brake and sat briefly until the smoke began to get worse. So, I got out of the truck and stood to the side as the interior ignited in flames. I watched the paint on the roof bubble and the rear-view window melt. The door mirrors melted and fell to the ground. As people started gathering on a sidehill to watch, the hand brake melted and Scott’s pride-and-joy began to slowly roll down the hill. Oh yeah, I was parked on a hill facing a busy intersection with an ARCO station on one corner.

The truck was picking up speed. I was running after it waving my arms to alert any potential target. The truck continued to go faster, burning like a comet when it jumped the center divider and was now heading directly into on-coming traffic. It was a nightmare. I envisioned the worst. I knew Scott would be devastated and I would probably spend the rest of my life in prison. Fortunately, no cars were hit but the fireball collided with a lamp post on the opposite side of the street. Flames from the hood spilled onto the embankment and the vegetation caught on fire. As the fire moved up the hill toward an electrical substation, a good samaritan ran over to the truck with an extinguisher. I said “Forget the truck, get the hill!” Another driver came over and asked what he could do to help. I asked him to call my work to let them know what just happened. As it turned out, he was a priest (I didn’t know that at the time). One of my coworkers answered the phone. The message went something like this: “Hello, I’m Father Murphy. I’m out here with Don Matz on Imperial Boulevard. His truck exploded in flames and he won’t be coming back to work.” Word spread throughout the department that I was dead, and Father Murphy was administering Last Rites.

An hour later the truck was dumped off at a junkyard in Brea, on Ash Street, of all names. I called Scott and broke the news. It was like a stake through the heart, although he rebounded eventually with another bitch’n ride. When I called work, I heard screaming from my co-workers. “He’s Alive!”

Just another day at the office.

And there you have it. Lots of fun memories and not a single person I asked owned a Porsche as their first car. I wonder how many Porsches they own now…

“I’ve always been asked, ‘What is my favorite car?’ and I’ve always said ‘The next one.’”

Carroll Shelby

“A racing car is an animal with a thousand adjustments.”

Mario Andretti

“Straight roads are for fast cars, turns are for fast drivers.”

Colin McRae

“If you’re in control, you’re not going fast enough.”

Parnelli Jones

“The ideal racecar will expire 100 yards past the finish line.”

Stirling Moss

“I am an artist, the track is my canvas and the car is my brush.”

Graham Hill

“Racing is Life, everything before or after is just waiting.”

Steve McQueen

“If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?”

Steven Wright

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

Image: Don Matz

Through my lens

LUIS VIVAR

As a motorsports photographer, I have been fortunate to witness some thrilling and exciting moments on the racetrack.

It almost goes without mentioning but my favorite events to photograph are those hosted by the Porsche Owners Club where I have had the privilege of capturing the unique and passionate culture that surrounds these iconic cars.

The POC is a community of individuals who share a love and appreciation for the Porsche brand and its racing heritage. POC events are not only about competition, but also about camaraderie and sharing experiences with like-minded individuals. As the POC photographer, I have been able to capture this sense of community through my lens and have seen firsthand how the love of Porsche and motorsports bring people together.

From the moment I step onto the track, I am surrounded by the sights and sounds of these beautiful machines. The unmistakable roar of Porsche engines fills the air as the cars are brought to life in anticipation of the race ahead. The sleek and stylish design of the cars is a photographer’s dream, with their clean lines and iconic curves.

As the cars line up in the cold pit, I capture the excitement and anticipation on the faces of the drivers and their teams. It’s all for fun but the intensity in their eyes and the determination in their stance is a testament to the passion that drives these individuals to compete at their highest level.

As the race begins, I focus my lens on the action unfolding before me. The cars speed past me, their engines roaring and tires screeching as they navigate through the turns. I capture the heart-stopping moments as drivers push their limits, fighting for every inch of track and every precious second of time.

But it’s not just the action on the track that makes these events so special. As I move around the paddock, I capture the behind-the-scenes moments that show the true spirit of the POC. The camaraderie and support that exists between drivers and teams is apparent, as they work together to ensure that every car is running at its best and that every driver is doing well.

The POC is more than just a group of individuals with a shared passion for racing. It’s a community that celebrates the spirit of competition, the thrill of the race, and the joy of being behind the wheel of the most iconic auto brand in the world.

As a motorsports photographer, I feel privileged to be able to capture the energy and excitement of the POC events through my camera lens, and I look forward to capturing many more unforgettable moments in the future.

A

911 Design is a full-service repair and restoration facility located east of Los Angeles in the city of Montclair.

In addition to offering standard service, repair and restoration for all Porsche® models, we are known for and specialize in custom fabrication, design and performance upgrades.

All of our services are vertically integrated which means we keep all repair, fabrication and auto-body in-house.

www.stand21.com

genuine adventure committed to the betterment of the Race Car Drivers safety. Since 1970 Stand 21 has continuously delivered advanced technical innovations and safety improvements in products that are exceptionally efficient and comfortable.

TIME TRIALS IN THE RAIN

BUTTONWILLOW RETROSPECTIVE

STEVE EISLER

When I was in my 20’s and learning to ski on the Advanced slopes, my friends used to say, “If you are not falling, you are not learning.” To a certain extent the same principle applies to driving, “If you’re not spinning, you’re not winning.” Off-track excursions are essential to finding the limits of your driving ability if you don’t make a habit of stirring up the dirt.

At the POC races, Time Trial, and PDS at Buttonwillow last month, staying on track was complicated by an added variable – rain. Not only did the rain make it harder to stay on track, but Buttonwillow is built on exceptionally soft, silty soil that turns into clay when it gets wet. Most cars that got too far off track had to be towed out of the clay. Some got into the lakes that had formed in the infield and sunk so far into the goop that water was coming into the cockpit from under the doors. We arrived and unloaded in clear weather on Thursday afternoon, but it began raining Thursday night. When we returned Friday morning for the Buttonwillow Open Test Day it was still raining, and the showers continued all day. The track was open from 9:00 am, and I was one of the first cars on the track. The traffic was light most of the day, and everyone was very courteous when passing, but there were puddles on the track all day long. This was my third opportunity to learn to drive in the rain, and I took advantage of it by driving a total of 37 laps on Friday.

I knew to stay off the gaters, since the paint makes them slippery, and to use the color of the pavement to determine where the track is the driest. Dealing with puddles and running water across the track was a learning experience. I did not want to hydroplane in the deep puddles but I did try driving through the edge of the puddles with two wheels closest to the puddle but that unsettled the car, so I ended up avoiding all standing water. This was very difficult at the entry to the Esses. As you exit the Star Mazda turn and accelerate towards the first gater on the left there was a puddle (sometimes a small stream) running across the track at the up-shift point. Initially I was breaking at this point but, I gradually increased my speed, and found the best placement for my car to pass through the obstacle. In my limited experience I learned to adjust my line to the track conditions, keep adjusting to see where the track has the most grip, and increase speed gradually as I learned the new line. I also learned to begin braking earlier, and less aggressively to avoid skidding or activating the ABS.

When the POC group hit the track on Saturday morning, the track was almost dry. You still had to be mindful of the water features, one at the exit of Sunset, another in the inside of the Off Ramp. There was a substantial lake inside the Riverside turn, and one awfully close to the right side of the track after you crested Phil Hill. There were many other areas that did not have standing water, but you could see thick mud on the edges of the track. If anyone dropped a wheel and managed to get back on track, you needed to avoid clay-like mud they left on the track since it was very slippery!

Top times in the Blue, Point by Passing group, were Angela Avitt –2:05.877, who moved up to the Green Group on Sunday, Ashley Andreoli – 2:12.881 in a Modified 4 BMW, Mathew Welch –

2:12.987 in class Stock 3, and Stephen McClure – 2:13.284 in Stock 4. Also, under 2:15 were Paul Friedman, GT3, 2:14.371, and Shree Khare, Stock 4, 2:14.554. Shree is a new member of POC and was progressing well until a problem caused him to leave early. Another relative newcomer, Mike Quigley, recorded a 2:17.94 in class GT4.

In the Green group, Alexandra Hainer had the fastest time of the day at 1:49.927 in her GT1 car.

Rennick Palley, in GT2, started the weekend at 2:02.711, and improved in four sessions, finishing with a 1:55.421; just ahead of Prototype driver Matt Price 1:55.428. There were close battles in the Modified 2 class. Jonathan Golden had a best time of 1:57.809, followed by Mike Avitt --1:58.512, and Jim Hall II –1:58.593.

Thirty-eight drivers scored Time Trial points on the wet Buttonwillow track. Some had short excursions into the mud, some had to be pulled out of the ponds, and most of us stayed clean all weekend. The important lesson was to learn to drive in a variety of track conditions. Time Trialing is a great way to experience high performance automotive engineering with a minimum risk to you and your car. You should join us at the new super track, Charleston Peak, at Spring Mountain in May

the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup the world’s bestselling race car

Race 1 – SPA FRANCORCHAMPS

The Porsche Carrera

The headliner of the Porsche Carrera Cup

Benelux is the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) – the world’s best-selling race car...

In 2022, twelve races will be held at various Benelux and international race tracks. The series is supporting various renown race series like the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, DTM and ADAC GT Masters.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux is the perfect place for young talents to develop and move up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid eventually. Champions

Carrera Cup Benelux

of the past have proven the case: Ayhancan Güven, champion of 2018, is the current Porsche Young Professional and enjoys the support of the Porsche Motorsport junior programme. Max van Splunteren, champion in 2019, won the rookie championship of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup in 2020 and made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The latest talent, 2020 champion Loek Hartog just made the progression to the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and proved his ambition by securing the Rookie title. The development within the Porsche motorsport network has proven to be the most successful path for young GT talents. In fact, almost all new Porsche factory drivers of the past years came from within the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid and their national one-make series.

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

Mar 27 Mid-Ohio

Apr 10 Watkins Glen

(90 Minutes)

Apr 24 Long Beach

May 8 Fuji

May 22 Suzuka

Jun 5 Motegi

Points)

CLICK HERE for YouTube SIM RACES

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.

Watkins Glen

Long Beach

SIMRACING

UPCOMING EVENTS

SPRING MOUNTAIN

May 12-14, 2023

Let’s head back to Pahrump for another go-of-it. We’ll be racing once again on the new Charleston Peak track! Sign up early, this one will be a sell-out!

Register Today!

The STREETS

June 3-4, 2023

How about a mid-year thrill. Come on back to the Streets, where it all started for many of us. The new track surface provides opportunities for new records!

Register Today!

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.

(CLICK ON GRAPHIC to Register)