Following every event, I find myself blabbing about all the fun I had. Buttonwillow was no exception. Articles by Ryan Moore and Steve Eisler, along with Luis Vivar’s dynamic photography, captured all the track action. Paul Wren writes about getting into the flow, David Fabi enjoys a warm POC welcome, Steve Town fills us in about Mark Seiler and Maine Root. Martin Schacht shares the twists and turns of his Porsche adventures, my interview with Steve Eisler reveals the man behind the myth and Dr. Dyno offers some useful track advice. Don Matz’s graphics add pizzaz for your eye-popping pleasure. Click and enjoy!
Greetings Velocity readers, and welcome back to another race report from yours truly! This month, we returned to Buttonwillow for the 2nd time in 2024 and experienced typical Buttonwillow weather: warm, humid, and dusty. Buttonwillow’s unique, silty dirt never fails to create a few moments of ‘excitement’ during our races there - the narrow, challenging track layout leads to many offs that put slippery sediment onto the track surface, and if the off is big enough, we get a completely opaque dust cloud that offers precisely 0 meters of visibility - no cap.For the Orange Group, Alistair Belton, a relatively newer face in POC, put his machine on pole for the Spec Boxster class. Following him was Matt Hollander in P2 and Anders Hainer in P3. With so much talent at the front this was bound to be an exciting race! And as expected, it delivered. After the green flag dropped to start the race, the field made their way quickly, yet carefully, through turns 1, 2, and 3. This section of the track gets very tight with cars 2-wide, and no one wants to lose their race at turn 1. Shortly into the race, a collision between Alistair and Hollander put radiator fluid on the track at the entry to Cotton Corners, with the following cars struggling to keep the pointy end forward. Ultimately, Hollander carried on
Photo: Luis Vivar
unphased and managed to clinch a victory in P1. Nigel Maidment made a ferocious charge through the field throughout the race, ultimately landing himself in P2 after starting in P6. Following him was Anders Hainer in P3. In GT5, Bill Durant won the race followed by Don Kravig in P2 and Behr Salehi in P3. Randy Bergum won GT7 over his rival Ted Frech.
For the Red Group, newcomer (to POC that is) Will Wattanawongkiri put his 991.2 Spec car on pole, followed by Mike Monsalve in P2 and then Bryan Van Noy in P3 in qualifying. GT2 saw Dan Aspesi clinch pole, followed by Paul Barnes and then Roland Schmidt. In GT3, Ana Predescu got pole followed by Darin Moore (hey Dad!) in P2 and then Kelly Tribolet in P3. Great to see Kelly out there in a race again! In the race, Mike Monsalve prevailed with the victory after Will had a lap 1 incident ending his race. Following Mike was Bob Mueller in P2 and then Eban Benade in P3 for the 991.2 Spec class. In GT2, Dan Aspesi prevailed and even finished ahead of P3 in the Spec class! Following him was Darrell Troster in P2 and then Roland Schmidt in P3. Ana won in GT3, followed by Darin Moore in P2 and David Fabi in P3 - who finished within 2 tenths of each other! Their battle lasted from lap 1 until the end and was awesome to watch. Jim Salzer won GT4 as the lone competitor in his class but managed to pass several GT3 cars as well.
Race 2 for Orange Group on Saturday saw Matt Hollander prevail yet again with a solid 2.5 second lead over Anders in P2, followed by Nigel in P3. I personally had great battles with Alex Hainer and Mateo Siderman (another new face), with Mateo ultimately securing P4, myself P5, and Alex P6. Bill Durant won GT5 again, this time followed by Behr Salehi in P2 and Don Kravig in P3. Ted Frech beat his rival Randy Bergum this time to take the win in GT7.
Sunday’s Orange qualifications saw Anders Hainer take pole, followed by yours truly in P2, and then Murray Wunderly in P3. GT5 had Bill Durant took pole with Don in P2
Photos: Luis Vivar
and Behr starting P3. For GT7, Ted would be starting in P1 followed by Randy in P2. As the race started, Anders and I had a great drag race down the start/finish straight staying nose-to-nose the entire way. However, Anders managed to shake me by the exit of turn 1 and the rest was history. I’ll get you next time, Anders! Anders ended up winning BSR in 1st, followed by me in 2nd, and then Nigel Maidment, with another commendable run through the field, ending in P3 from a P7 starting position. Bill Durant once again won his class in GT5, followed by Don and then Behr. In GT7, Ted won as the single entry in his field.
Sunday’s Red Group qualifications resulted in Mike Monsalve starting in P1 for 991.2 Spec, followed by Duane Selby in P2 and then Eban in P3. Dan Aspesi once again got pole for GT2, followed by Darrell Troester in P2 and then Roland Schmidt in P3. In GT3 quali, Ana landed herself in P1 again, followed by David Fabi in P2 and Darin in P3. The final Red race of the weekend was far from boring and managed to produce some exciting results: Duane Selby passed Monsalve to take the lead in 991.2 Spec and held it to result in his first victory in 991.2 Spec! Congrats Duane! In GT2, Dan won once again, followed by Darrell and then Roland. I’m sensing a pattern there… In GT3, Ana took victory yet again and my pops, Darin, passed Fabi to take P2. Fabi ended up in P3, followed by Jim Salzer (as the lone entry in GT4). And that’s a wrap for Buttonwillow! See you at Chuckwalla!
Photos: Luis Vivar
Photo: Luis Vivar
Photos: Luis Vivar
Photo: Luis Vivar
Photos: Luis Vivar
Photos: Luis Vivar
Photo: Luis Vivar
Photo: Luis Vivar
Photos: Luis Vivar
Photos: Luis Vivar
Photo: Luis Vivar
Photo: Luis Vivar
Photos: Luis Vivar
Photos: Luis Vivar
Buttonwillow Time Trials and PDS
STEVE EISLER
As the Southwest suffered through record high temperatures in September, I watched the temperatures in Bakersfield in preparation for the return to Buttonwillow Raceway.
As the Southwest suffered through record high temperatures in September, I watched the temperatures in Bakersfield in preparation for the return to Buttonwillow Raceway. With its variety of turns, elevation changes, and high-speed sections, Buttonwillow is many racers favorite track. Add in the super fine silt that covers your car after an off-track incident and it becomes some driver’s least favorite track! There were 92 drivers registered to compete October 12 and 13, twenty-seven were time trial drivers, and nine were entered in the Performance Driving Series (PDS). These PDS drivers drove four 25-minute sessions with one of our certified instructors in the right seat helping them safely explore the capabilities and the limits of their Porsche. The temperatures were moderate, winds were low, and three new track records were set. I drove over 100 miles on Friday with Martina Kwan as my coach and made some big changes in technique and car placement, which led to some nice time drops on Saturday and Sunday. As I always say, “Any day on the track is better than a day sitting
at home.”, and this was true again this weekend. Kathy and I are very fortunate to be able to spend another weekend with the helpful and friendly members of POC. An example of this helpfulness is the Trophy Performance support team who offered to help me load my car onto the trailer so that Kathy didn’t have to.
I had the opportunity to talk with one of the students, Tyler Cheung, a neurologist from Pasadena who was driving an ’21 718 GTS. Tyler bought the car new and has been to a racetrack 5 times in the last year and a half. This is his first time at Buttonwillow, and he was very happy to have Nathan Apelbaum help him learn the track and how to correctly position his GTS for each corner. He wisely chose to not have a transponder, so that he could concentrate on learning the course and not think about the times. In addition to the driving instruction, Tyler, “learned how to prepare his car for on track
Philip Barker 1974 911 Andrew Weymen
Cyrus Chen 2019 911 4S Ryan Moore
Tyler Cheung 2021 718 GTS Nathan Aplebaum
Alex Ehmke 2018 718 GTS Behr Salehi
Laura Guttman 2018 GT3 Thomas Kenna
Samir Mehrotra 2016 GT4 Ryder Liu
Todd Wallace 1966 911 Jim Salzer
Joey Lopez 2018 GT3 Matt Steele
David Barrish 1999 BSR Don Kravig
Student Class Instructor
events”. He felt our event was “well organized” and was grateful for the hospitality shown by his instructor and all the club membership. Tyler will be returning to another POC event soon. Here are the Buttonwillow students and Instructors: Gerrit Wesseling, GT1, led the time trialer’s on Saturday with a TTOD of 1:57.080. He was followed by Jack Apelbaum in a Modified 3 Corvette who set a new track record of 1:58.198, Mark Manda who dropped his class GT1 time on Sunday to a 1:58.216, and Danna Van Noy, 2:00.300 driving a 991.2 Spec car. Mike Avitt was first in M2 with a best time of 2:00.328, and the Prototype of Bruce Blockus recorded a 2:01.691. Bob Gartland won class GT3 with a time of 2:02.129, and Thomas Kenna rounded out the sub-2:03 group with a 2:02.951 in class M3.
On Sunday morning Alexandra Hainer blew away the rest of the time trial drivers with a 1:51.685 in her 991.2 Spec car, but it was not a track record, because Will Wattanawongkiri ran 1:49.223 in
the Red Race Qualifying. The other track record set this weekend was in class Stock 4, 2:12.686 by Kristopher Marciniak. The RBIS points for the Buttonwillow Time Trials are based upon the existing track records. The new track records will be updated and used to calculate RBIS scores the next time we race Buttonwillow clockwise.
As you are reading this, we are on the way to Chuckwalla for the penultimate event of the year. The minimum number of events to qualify for a season championship award is nine, and there are five drivers that already have met this requirement. With four events remaining (two at Chuckwalla and two at Big Willow in December), there are 11 more drivers who can meet minimum event requirements and qualify for a trophy if they meet the Service points requirements. Whether you qualify for a trophy or not, consider attending the awards banquet in January. It is a great party with great food, door prizes, entertainment, and, of course, the great POC members!
Time Trial Record Based Improvement Scores (RBIS)
Van Noy, Danna
Time Trial Record Based Improvement Scores (RBIS)
Nollau, Steve
Nollau, Steve
Taheri, Sean
Truelsen, Anders
A Club Like No Other
David Fabi
I embarked on my exhilarating journey of wheelto-wheel racing approximately two years ago. Prior to that, I was working arduously on my circuit driving skills doing track day after track day after track day. My objective was always to race others, but first, I had to hone my craft and get up to speed. Finally, after hours upon hours of seat time, I felt it was time for me to enter the dogfighting world that is competitive racing.
Photo Credit: Luis Viva / Don Matz
The racing community, as we know, is highly competitive. Within the DNA of all successful racers is a rarely compromising competitive gene that yearns for victories. Unfortunately, there can be a negative side to this phenomenon in that a cut-throat environment can infect the grid. Ego can run rampant and culminate in an unwelcoming racing environment. Avoiding the impulse to dominate others on the racetrack can be very challenging. The best approach, in my opinion, whether in racing or in life, is to compete with yourself and consistently aspire for growth and improvement.
When I finally entered my first POC race in 2023 at the Willow Springs “Tribute to Le Mans” event, I quickly noticed the camaraderie among the racers, mechanics, instructors and all others involved in the race weekend. I could immediately see that people were not just acquaintances but were genuine friends. I felt the inviting atmosphere that welcomed new drivers like me with smiles and open arms. I had found a club of enthusiasts that were not only interested in getting to know me as a racer, but also to get to know me as a person.
Serendipitously, the Tribute to Le Mans endurance race embodied the overarching culture of the Porsche Owners Club. Teams of drivers had to be assembled to compete in the vaunted event. Immediately, I had to be paired and form a kinship with two other drivers, Greg Gilson and Andy Sloane, both of whom I have never met before. Thankfully, developing a connection with these men was seamless. What also stood out in my mind was when Duane Selby unfortunately hurt himself after he slipped off the podium. Being a doctor and surgeon, I felt it not only my duty to help, but also a pleasure to provide aid to a fellow racer. I will never forget his profound gratitude for my concern about his well-being. It was this weekend that solidified my commitment to the POC.
I have continued to compile memories in POC that I will never forget, like the time we raced in the rain at Spring Mountain and I was able to harness my Midwestern roots of driving in harsh conditions to keep my car on the track (ha-ha). Or the laughs I share with Eben Benade. Or every race in the GT3 class where we all try to catch up to Ana Predescu, but to no avail. She must be utilizing her rocket science intelligence to find a mathematical racing line that is beyond all our comprehension. Or the countless times that Darin Moore and I battled it out on track, especially when it came down to the wire during the last event at Buttonwillow as he beat me to the line by just over 0.1 seconds! For those that don’t know, Mr. Moore often showcases a masterclass in defending, much to my chagrin (lol). Somehow, he has the gift of making his car as wide as the track. But it is this element of respect amongst the drivers makes it that much more enjoyable as we can race fairly, cleanly, safely and hard! It is moments like these that I cherish about the race weekend.
It is those involved in POC that have not only made me a better driver, but a better person. And for this, I am forever grateful. So, thank you POC! I’ll see ya next time at the track!
The Porsche Owners Club Recognizes Maine Root as
a Valued Sponsor
Steve Town
Our club is fortunate to have many different sponsors, representing a wide variety of businesses. In recent years, in addition to the motorsports industry, we’ve had sponsors from technology, healthcare, entertainment, transportation, mortgage finance, medical research, financial investing, and beverage industries. This month, the beverage business is the focus of my sponsor spotlight series.
I met BSR racer Mark Seiler in early 2023, when he began racing with POC. Soon thereafter, he asked about sponsorship options for his company, Maine Root Handcrafted Beverages. Thankfully, Mark decided to join the Gold Sponsor group and has provided valuable support to the club.
Mark was kind enough to put some time aside recently and we talked about his business, motorsports and other interests. We started our conversation with Maine Root. Mark described his business like this, “Maine Root makes soft drinks and lemonades sweetened with fair trade organic cane sugar sold nationally at Whole Foods and thousands of other grocery and restaurant locations. It was started in Portland, Maine, with our first customer being Flatbread Pizza, in 2005. At the time my brother was in Portland, and he created a Root Beer flavored beverage for Flatbread, and then he started adding accounts in Portland.”
Mark got involved after that, following a successful career in tech sales. He said, “I got tired of tech eventually, so I decided to take a chance and went to join my brother and try to build the beverage company. My sales background really helped and we grew quickly from that start in Portland.”
Mark had moved to Austin, Texas in 1996 for the tech industry, so he began traveling back to
Portland for the new beverage business. I asked him whether there was any background that led he and his brother into the hyper competitive beverage industry. He said, “I worked in restaurants growing up in Delaware starting when I was ten. I was a dishwasher, bicycle sandwich delivery rider, busboy, and waiter. I knew the food service industry, and I always like beverages.” Sometimes childhood experiences contribute to our choices later in life, as they did with Mark.
He shared a bit of his business background before Maine Root. “My ‘grown-up’ background before Maine Root was medical equipment, and business software sales. Selling to scrappy start-ups and the fortune 500. Fellow POC racer Herb Cunitz was my boss’s boss at a successful software start up.” Mark and Herb also still hit motorcycle on/off road adventures together.
Whole Foods and Cava restaurants. Home base is Austin, Texas. and Rochester, New Hampshire. We’re planning on growing where it makes sense, but keeping our old relationships and customers happy is really our main focus.”
Thanks, Mark, for insight into your beverage business. It’s always inspiring to hear a story, similar to quite a few other POC drivers, that entails sensing an opportunity, following a passion, and working hard for years to build a successful business. The fruits of those labors reap rewards with other passions, like getting their car on track.
Mark shared a little more about Maine Root, “Maine Root has production now in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New Jersey. We’ve grown a lot over the last 20 years. Our customer is anyone with $1.99 in their pocket, and we sell nationally now through delis, pizza, taco, burger joints, and our larger customers like
Let’s head to motorsports with Mark and see what led him to the POC and racing BSRs.
I asked Mark about what fed his interest in the track and racing.
He replied, “I was hooked on the old Speed Racer cartoon as a kid, and Evel Knievel, so I ended up racing dirt bikes a lot growing up. I still love it. For example, that “manicured” pic was me after getting beat up doing the Catavina Baja.” Now that’s passion and quite a combination –Speed Racer and Evel Knievel! You guys on those motocross bikes are a special breed. Mark added,
“That pic in the Honda shirt was in Bahia De Los Angeles Baja, after my bike blew up in the Norra Mex 1000 when the oil plug fell out 2020.”
See, these types of things happen on bikes too, just like our cars sometimes!
I asked Mark what types of cars he was initially most interested in. He said, “An American made V8. My Dad had a 1970½ 4-speed Chevy Camaro, and he would smoke ‘em in third gear. I loved that. Then I used to get a ride to basketball games in my friend’s dad’s 911. He’d go 120 on the way to the game, and we’d jump out and dominate our opponents. I had always dreamed of Porsches.”
Now that’s the early Porsche spirit, and it translated to basketball domination too!
Mark continued, “We had two VW bugs when I was in high school. The first one was a total s#*t box. The front end was completely rusted out and camouflaged by the seller with a Smithsonian level papier mâché job. We didn’t find out it was completely shot until I had to stop for a school
bus and the whole front started bouncing off the ground. Then a month later we found a great ‘71 in New Hampshire, without an engine and no rust. A miracle find. So, we swapped the engines and painted it. That ’71 got me through college in New Hampshire, and it handled great in snow!” I told Mark that’s the best way to muscle memory into a BSR! Grow-up on dirt bikes and a ’71 bug in the snow. What’s better than that? Not much in my driving mind.
So how did Mark end up out west with the POC? He describes it like this, “I fell into it through Herb, and also meeting Jim Mcloughlin, with his son, James, back in 2022. I’ll never forget going on track at Sonoma with the BSR I just bought. They put James in the driver’s seat, and me in the right seat, which led to me feeling like I was going to boot, asking myself what the hell did I get myself into.” I have a feeling many of us have an early on track experience in the right seat with a good racer driving. That’s always an eye opener and stomach turner! I know it was for me back in the day.
Mark said, “My first race after I received my provisional license was at Chuckwalla in 2023.
That first experience was eye opening. A bunch of cars spun out on lap one right in front of me, but I made it through the smoke unscathed and had my best finish yet.”
Well done, Mark, that’s a helluva start and an experience nobody would soon forget.
One question I always like to ask is, “What keeps your passion for motorsports fresh and keeps you coming to the track?” Mark said, “I like being new to something very challenging and difficult to master. I like to ride dirt bikes to keep pumped up, keep hand eye coordination sharp, and I like being around the people at the POC. I’m really inspired by the level of talent on the track and in the pits.”
I asked Mark what he enjoys away from the racetrack. He replied, “I really enjoy running a business with the same suppliers, and customers we’ve been working with for 20 years. These relationships are so important to me and it’s great. I love riding motorcycles, fishing, skiing. And I’d like to say thanks to Vali, Herb, Jim, and James for getting me into racing.”
On a personal note, Mark grew up in the northeast and continued west thereafter. He said, “We lived
in Delaware, Boston, then New Hampshire when I grew up, and now we live in both Austin and Breckenridge, Colorado, beginning in about 2019. My wife and I have been married for 31 years and have three daughters. They all have scars from riding dirt bikes! Our girls are now living in Washington D.C., Colorado, and our youngest is a recent UT grad and heading to New York City for work.”
Mark, thanks for sharing with us. Thank you for being a valued sponsor and a passionate racer with the POC! Good luck to everyone at CVR and have fun in the bowl! Here’s how you can reach Mark and Maine Root:
Maine Root Handcrafted Beverages
1801 La vaca St #4E Austin TX 78701 www.maineroot.com Mark Seller, President mark@maineroot.com 512-517-3158
Image: Don Matz
My Porsche Adventures
From a 1973 N/A 911 T to a 2017 Twin Turbo 991.2 GTS
Martin Schacht
Part One
It seems my love for all things automotive may be somewhat genetic. It originated with my father who lived a privileged life provided by his very successful architect father. Dad was an amateur circle track racer with his home built overhead valve track car. It was somewhat unique for its time, in contrast to so called Ford “flathead” track cars. He was passionate about all things automotive and had dreams of pursuing his passion full time. Sadly, it became a pipe dream, impacted by the dreadful 1930’s economy.
My First Porsche
For whatever reason, the time had arrived for me to “pull the trigger” on a Porsche. There were two Porsche dealerships in my area, and I was planning visiting both. I went to the Porsche dealership in Burlingame, CA, and discovered a lightly driven, two-year-old 1973 Porsche 911T in Sepia Brown. There was no need to visit the other dealership. It was love at first sight. The car had a tan leather interior, Fuchs forged wheels, and a 140-hp engine. I bought the car with no hesitation, and it was to become my daily driver. On occasion,
I would drive the rural roads of Northern California. A year later, my assignment ended. The car and I moved back to Southern California. I did enjoy two more years of Porsche bliss with the car, before my growing family needs changed, namely providing seating for my 3-year-old son. In its place I had to make do with a recently provided company car, at least for a while. But the unrelenting need to own a Porsche car remained to eventually emerge a few years later.
The 1980 Porsche 911SC Weissach Edition
I found my next Porsche at renowned Porsche racer Alan Johnson’s San Diego Porsche dealership. They were selling a 1980 Porsche 911SC limited edition Weissach coupe, one of only 400 or so, built exclusively for the US market. It was supposedly named to honor the Porsche R&D team in Weissach, Germany, and it may well have been. But as we see in Air Brigade, “The original idea to produce this special model for the American market was to promote the Sonderwunschabtilung (Special Wishes) department that was established in 1978.”
What sucked me in, ranked in order of visual significance to me, was the rear mounted fiberglass 930 Turbo style “whale tail” rear spoiler. As to be expected, it was complimented by a flat black rubber front spoiler fixed to the valance. I loved the car’s Champaigne Beige color, the stuff of dreams, and to exacerbate the chromatic impact, the painted wheel centers matched the body and were detailed with polished wheel lips and flat black center caps. The flared rear fenders, also found on the basic 911 SC just looked better on this car complementing the exterior general appearance “package.”
Addition detail, sourced from RENNLIST, the model was furnished with heated power mirrors, a power radio antenna, H-4 halogen headlamps, a black roof liner, two rear speakers and a set of fog lamps. It also came with power sunroof, power windows, power locks, air conditioning, cruise control and stone guards on the leading edge of the rear wheel wells. All the options, with perhaps the exception of the 930 Turbo style whale tail, were available on all 911SC cars. According to Air Brigade, “The most unique aspect of the Porsche 911 Weissach Edition is its exclusive interior, a three-color combo presentation, with a full leather interior featured in Doric Grey complete with red piping matching the carpets. The perforated black leatherette ceiling adds an extra punch to the interior.”
Except for the Bilstein Sport shock absorbers, the car’s mechanical features were identical to those found in the basic 911SC. It had the same engine specifications, with an air-cooled 3.0-liter flat-six boxer engine producing 180HP at 4,400 RPM, and 175 lb-ft of peak torque.
Some could label the Weissach Edition a poseur “parts bin” car but this combination of parts appeared magical to me, as they created the effect that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I simply had to have this car, and I’d take whatever the dealer would give me for my 1974 911 in a trade in. The deal was done with no regrets.
Hooked on Track Days
I was introduced to performance driving because Alan’s dealership offered a free track driving instruction day to their recent Porsche customers, for both new and used cars. It was hosted at the Jack Murphy (Football) Stadium in San Diego. The event provided an opportunity for the group of us to get a taste of track performance driving. We received some in-car coaching, punctuated mid-day by an elegant catered sit-down luncheon served under a canopy. Finalizing the event, we were given the opportunity to experience the track at speed, with Alan driving us around it in his sorted out 1989 944 Turbo car. This was the most memorable experience of the event and resulting in me becoming addicted to performance driving in all its iterations!
The driving obsession hook had been set, and I became an active participant in various one day Autocross driving events. We’d go out for only one lap at a time, with significant time passing between runs. Getting it right in one lap wasn’t working for me. I needed to experience multiple sets of sequential laps if I were I ever to learn to become a competent track driver.
All was to change when I discovered multi-lap POC Time Trials, where cars were assigned to various classes depending on car’s model years and any
significant performance enhancing specifications outlined in the GCRs (General Competition Rules). We ran five 20-minute practice session on Saturday, and three on Sunday. Practice lap times were logged and displayed at the end of a session. You could see how you ranked against your competition. All this was in preparation for formal timed runs on Sunday, to determine winners across all classes. At the conclusion of our Timed Runs, a Driver’s Meeting convened where trophies were awarded to drivers ranking 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their respective classes. Experiencing a class win announced at the post-event Driver’s Meeting was an honor I occasionally experienced, with the recognition from fellow drivers uplifting and encouraging.
Modifying the Weissach Car
As I spent more time on the track, the car received performance upgrades such as a track alignment optimized as the result of larger and adjustable sway bars with custom drop links. A Porsche 934 style aero front spoiler was added, incorporating an auxiliary oil cooler at its center, with air inlets, found on either side of the front oil cooler, channeling air to cool the front brake calipers. I also installed pressure-fed hydraulic cam chain tensioners and a transmission short shifter for more precise gear changes. The car retained its unique interior apart from added race seats. Sadly, after a few years driving this car, pressures at work seemed all consuming, and with me not having the time to pursue my driving passion the car was sold. I vowed to return to this sport as soon as possible.
Enter the 1997 Porsche Carrera 993
Three years had passed, and things were calming down at work. It was time to get back to the track. In December of 1999, I began the search for my next Porsche. Not long after, I found a low-mileage 1997 993 911 in Grand Prix White at Porsche of San Diego. This was the last of the air-cooled 911 cars, with the 993-model run ending in 1998. This car came equipped with a sporty aftermarket exhaust, a factory limited-slip differential, and of course air-conditioning and power windows. The car was perfection for the street but needed some fine tuning to be competitive at the track in the form of driving performance upgrades. It was to receive extensive suspension modifications, with the transmission rebuilt adding close ratio gearing. I participated regularly in in Time Trials and later, wheel-to-wheel racing for 10 years which required the installation race seats and a full roll cage. This was the best Porsche I had owned to date, but as would be expected, after 17 years of ownership, change was on the horizon. I don’t regret selling the 993. We ran our race, and it was time to move on to new driving adventures, on a more modern, and fresher steed.
In our next issue, the leap to a 2004 911 GT3…
Achieving the Flow State
Paul Wren
With any amount of experience in sport, you will have come across descriptions of the intense concentration of the “Flow State.” Hopefully you will have experienced it yourself. It’s the feeling of absolute control, where time slows down and you get the sense that you know what will happen next before it happens. Your vision becomes ultra sharp. Tennis or baseball players talk about the ball becoming as big as a balloon and seeing individual seams. This is the ideal of the “art of racing in the rain,” the state where you can steer into a slide before it occurs, which is the only way recover because if you wait for the slide to start you are already too late.
The flow state is the culmination of all the preparation and practice that you do in the hours or days or weeks or months leading up an event. Since in racing, our actual time on track is so limited, we must have a way to store up and replay the experiences of real track time (tires up to temperature, track conditions nominal, no interference from traffic, car performing, and setup understood) and be able play them back mentally. That goes back to the vision and focus: if your lived experience of the track is random and choppy, and you’re spending all your time reacting to events, you will not be building the catalog of experiences and reactions that create the building blocks of the flow state.
Keith Code’s methodology had a strong focus on drawing and learning your own copy of a track map, with all the personal markers and recollections you had of every tree, change of pavement, significant bump or hill, curb location and texture, landmarks in the distance and actual edges for the pavement. Through all of these you had to understand and map the racing line, and not just the ideal time trial line, but also the blocking line, the chasing line, the wet line, and the line you need when your tires have gone off or your brakes are hot and you need to give the car a break.
The quality of your mental model of the track will lead directly to the quality of your mental practice. And that mental practice will be critical to making full use of real track time, because you are never wondering what comes next or where to point the car, but only spending your attention on the variables that come from the real world in changing grip, wind, temperature and behavior of competitors.
The full flow state comes when all this works together: your mental model is complete and informed by sufficient practice to be realistic, your personal and equipment preparation is sufficient that you have no doubts about safety or capability, and your expectation model for how your inputs will affect the car are accurate enough to be realistic. At that point, the flow state can come, and you can focus all your intensity on understanding the unknowns, the variable of each lap, which are the last 1% that make all the difference.
Here’s to understanding and achieving that flow state. I think many of us are alike in being drawn to racing as a way to get to that single-minded focus that only occurs in the car. See you at the track, and if anyone wants to get together and talk about your mental model, I’m all ears.
The POC has partnered with:
Motorsports Safety Foundation (www.motorsport-safety.org)
...to provide standardized instructor training and certification for POC driving instructors. This course is becoming the standard with many performance driving clubs. In late 2023 and early 2024, 33 POC drivers completed the online Level 1 training, which takes around 4 hours. This last June, 22 of those Level 1 graduates completed the one day Level 2 training at Streets of Willow, which was a combination of classroom and on-track instructing scenarios. Participants learned a lot and rated the course very highly. Upon completion of Level 2 you will be credentialed and entered into the national registry as a MSF instructor. We have scheduled a Level 2 training at Streets of Willow for Saturday, January 11, 2025, so now is the time to complete the Level 1 training.
The cost for registering for Level 1 is $50. POC will give 50 service points and $50 in POC Bucks for completing Level 1, so there is no cost to participate.
If you have any questions or are interested in participating in POC’s MSF instructor certification program, please contact me to help you get started.
Thanks, Jim Salzer
Photo: Luis Vivar
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.
Steve Eisler
ANDREW WEYMAN
Photos: Luis Vivar
Steve Eisler has been a dedicated member of the POC and a contributing writer for Velocity. His coverage of PDS and TT has been thorough, insightful and engaging. We’ve gotten to know a little about Steve and his wife, Kathy, through his articles but I wanted to know more. I spoke with Steve after our Buttonwillow event. Here’s what he had to say:
AW: Thanks for agreeing to do this. I thought it would be interesting to interview you.
SE: (Laughs) I hope you’re right. We’ll see…
AW: When did you join the POC?
SE: It was around 2020.
AW: How did you hear about it?
SE: I’ve been active in PCA for a long time, and I knew some of the guys were doing POC. I was at the point where I wasn’t progressing very much, and I wasn’t very fast. I needed more seat time. One of my first POC experiences was an Auto Club Speedway event in August. It was 109 degrees. I went with a friend of mine. We did PDS. That was a good start. Then I started going more frequently. Since then, I’ve been doubling up on events with both clubs and trying to get as much seat time as I can.
AW: So, your previous experience with PCA was primarily autocross and time trialing?
SE: Yeah. I’ve never done any wheel-to-wheel racing except for the first weekend of the Racers Clinic with DK Racing.
AW: How long were doing events with PCA before you started coming to POC weekends?
SE: I did my very first PCA track day in 1968. I had a ’68 912 Targa. I was in the Golden Gate Region. We went up to a track that was an old WWII runway, and I did really well. I was 22 years old, and I thought I would become a race
car driver. (Laughs) My Air Force salary wasn’t going to let that happen. I was an inactive member of the San Diego Region for 36 years. I think I went to three events during that time. In 2012, we sold the 911 Targa and bought a 2011 Boxster Spyder. I took that to a PCA event and suddenly I became an active member. Everybody was gathering around and looking at the car. I started DE, Autocross and Time Trials. Eventually I decided not to Time Trial that rare car anymore. I bought my 2003 Boxster S to be used as a track car.
AW: What have you done to earn a living?
SE: I’ve basically had four careers. I was in the Air Force for eight years. While I was there, I had the opportunity to work with one of the best swimming coaches in the world. I became a swim coach. Then I became a swim coach, assistant football coach and high school teacher. I retired from teaching in 2002 to work for a small computer company. I’m still working with them part-time. I think my time coaching helped me realize what I needed to do to become a better driver. The whole RBIS thing came out of my coaching. I had swimmers I was coaching since they were eight years old. They were really fast and improving, coming in a half or full second faster. That was hard for them to do since they were almost at the school record already. Then there was the kid who came in and has never been on a team before. He drops his time 10 seconds. What’s the relationship between those two? That’s how the whole thing got started.
AW: Do you have any hobbies other than driving?
SE: It’s mostly driving. When we were younger, Kathy and I used to ski half-a-dozen times a year. We’ve had some great travel adventures.
AW: Has Kathy ever expressed any interest in getting behind the wheel on the track?
SE: We both did the Performance Driving School and Autocrosses with the Spyder. I tried to get her to do Driver Education, but she didn’t want to do that. She’s dealing with some physical limitations now, so I do all the driving.
AW: What has your track experience taught you about yourself?
SE: That I need to extend myself and get out of my shell. I’m not going as fast as I should. It’s my self-preservation gene that takes over too often. Also, if you really listen to what other drivers are saying, there’s a lot you can learn. Then, you have to put that knowledge into action. Figuring out what I’m supposed to do and then having the cojones to do it is what I’m working on.
AW: As many times as I’ve been on the track, I always learn something.
SE: A few years ago, I was listening to country/western song by Chris Johnson. The lyric is, “When you have a chance, take it. Take it while you have a chance. I’m 80 years old. If I have a chance, I’m going to take it. Get out there and go. Recently I found a quote, “Inaction breeds fear and doubt. Action breeds confidence and courage.” When I’m sitting home and not driving, it breeds fear and doubt. When I’m behind the wheel on the track, it’s all about confidence and courage.
AW: I want to express my appreciation to you for your dedication to Velocity for so many years. You’ve been a big part of its success.
SE: Thank you. I hope if I get boring or stupid someone will tell me, and I’ll stop.
AW: You’re far from that. It’s interesting about what people will comment about. There’s been some very positive and supportive feedback.
SE: I think you’re doing a great job, and I hope you’ll let me know if I go off the deep end.
AW: I won’t hesitate! Anything you’d like to add?
SE: Kathy and I are really happy that we can come out and meet people who aren’t boring old educators. Meet people from all these different walks of life. Share different opinions. Talk with interesting people. Drive my car. It’s a wonderful break. I appreciate all the people who’ve been helpful and welcoming. People who have been accepting of someone who’s not very fast on the track and respectful that he’s out on the track trying.
AW: That’s the spirit of the POC. Thanks, Steve. See ya at Chuckwalla!
r2endalz.org
Ask
Dear Dr. Dyno,
Advice to Keep You on Track
I’m confused. When gridding up, should you be able to see your grid number in your rearview or left sideview mirror?
Confused in Corona
Dear Confused,
Why are you confused? That immediately tells me that you need to review our General Competition Rules and follow them. In the future, don’t waste my time with garbage questions like this. Your grid number should be visible in your left sideview mirror. Duh.
Dear Dr. Dyno,
I attend events with a family member who shall remain nameless. We both race. I’m in Orange. He’s in Red. He thinks that just because he bought a race car for me, pays for its maintenance, tires, and my entry fees, I should buy him lunch every weekend. I think it would nicer if I surprised him with a lunch every once in a while, instead of feeling obligated to feed him at every event. Your thoughts?
Feeling obligated in Oxnard
Dear Obligated,
You didn’t mention whether this nameless family member (who is most likely your dad) pays for your fuel. I’ll assume he does. With that in mind, you’re an ungrateful little s#@t.
Dear Dr. Dyno,
I’m a back-marker. Mid-pack at best. My survival instincts are holding me back. When my throttle pedal should be flat to the floor, I find myself lifting. When I approach a corner braking zone, I brake early, too hard, and then my exit speed is compromised. It appears to me that my fellow Time Trialers don’t seem to have any self-preservation concerns. How can I drive faster, and trust that I’ll survive?
Timid in Tujunga Dear Timid,
This isn’t about survival instincts. That’s a cop out. Mental and physical preparation is key. Study videos and track maps, talk with other drivers about the choices they make. Make changes in small increments and note the results. Get some coaching. Our survival instincts are always with us. Surrendering to a concept that holds you back and accepting it as gospel guarantees you’ll never stand on the podium. You’re missing out on so many thrills that could be yours. If you want to live in your comfort zone, get off the track, drive home, turn on your TV and watch season three of Real Housewives.
The new 911 GT3 and Porsche News Double Premiere
The 911 GT3 has offered the ultimate combination of racing genes and day-to-day usability since its introduction in 1999. To mark its 25th anniversary, the new model will launch simultaneously in two versions for the first time: as a track-focused sports car with a rear wing and as a more understated version with a Touring package.
911 GT3 with Touring package
Porsche is relaunching the 911 GT3. The exceptionally track-ready road sports car makes its debut in its anniversary year with an expanded lightweight strategy, a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre boxer engine with 375 kW (510 PS) and 450 Nm, and new, highly customer-focused options. The Weissach package, available for the first time in the 911 GT3, offers even more custom configuration options for use on the track. In addition, the sports car comes with more extensive standard equipment and other options that further enhance its precision and sportiness.the Southeast Asia in their own
SIMRACING 2024 Season 2 Schedule
2024 Season 2 Results
July 15 Sonoma
July 29 SPA
Aug 12 Road America
Aug 26 Nurburgring
Sept 09 Monza
Sept 23 Laguna Seca
Oct 07 Belle Isle
Oct 21 COTA
Nov 04 Interlagos
No v 18 Road Atlanta
Dec 02 Hockenheim
Dec 16 Virginia
Dec 30 Willow Springs
1st Chris Walsh 4th Michael Johnson
2nd Sagar Dhawan 5th Michael Bolten
3rd AJ Roper 6th BJ Fulton
1st Sagar Dhawan 4th Jad Duncan
2nd BJ Fulton 5th Dustin Heindl
3rd AJ Roper 6th Dylan Scott
1st Ezra Kelderman 4th Dylan Scott 2nd Dustin Heindl 5th Michael Bolten
3rd BJ Fulton 6th Michael Johnson
1st Michael Johnson 4th Ian Roche
2nd Ezra Kelderman 5th Michael Bolten 3rd BJ Fulton 6th Dylan Scott
Now you can order your favorite POC garments and other specialty items “Online” simply by clicking on any one of the above photos!
UPCOMING TRACK EVENTS
Chuckwalla
November 2-3, 2024
Last year was a hoot in the low desert on the newly resurfaced track. Let’s do it again! Get in on the fun early... Gonna be a lot of cars!
RRegister Today!
Season FINALE
December 7-8, 2024
The last chance of the year to get your “speed on!” Don’t miss the Finale...there will be a lot of action on the track as drivers fight for those final championship points!
Registration Open Soon! Click here for Season Results
