Porscher 2016 02

The Voice of the Vancouver Island Region of the PCA Volume 19 Issue 1 February 2016

Roy Passmore 1947-2016

CONTENTS President’s Message & Editor’s Comment

Page 3

Porsche Cars North America Letter

Page 4

Camp4 Experience

Page 6

Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit

Page 10

Black Rock

Page 11

VIR Events Calendar

Page 12

Bits & Pieces

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PORSCHER FEBRUARY 2016 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 1

This week the VIRPCA learned of the death of Roy Passmore. Those of you with a history of Victoria will know that until 2012 he owned Speedway Motors which sold Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche in Victoria for many years.

I’m sure members will join the Executive in sending our condolences to the Passmore family.

In line with their request, the VIRPCA will be making a donation to the Alzheimer's Society of BC in Roy’s name.

YOUR 2016 EXECUTIVE President

Martin Mansfield president@virpca.org

Vice President

James Renfrew vicepresident@virpca.org

Secretary

Michael Holan secretary@virpca.org

Treasurer

Rob Smith treasurer@virpca.org

Director—Membership

Imogen Burr membership@virpca.org

Director—Competition

Conrad Peden competition@virpca.org

Director—Newsletter

Steve Fairbrother Newsletter@virpca.org

Director—Website

Rajesh Rao webms@virpca.org

Director—North Island

Wendy Woodley upisland@virpca.org

Director—Mid Island

Don Munro midisland@virpca.org

Director—South Island

Didier Moinier southisland@virpca.org

Please send submissions via email to the Newsletter Director at: Newsletter@virpcaorg

Past President

Brad Blaney pastpresident@virpca.org

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: The deadline for the next issue is the last Friday of the month.

PCA Zone 6 Representative

Tim Hagner simtue@gmail.com

COVER : 24 brand new GTS vehicles ready for use at Camp4 (photo courtesy Porsche Canada)

Find us on Facebook :www.facebook.com/VIRPCA

Or at our website :www.virpca.org

EDITORIAL: Statements appearing in PORSCHER are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Porsche Club of America, the Vancouver Island Region, its Executives or the Editor.

All articles and photographs are copyright the author or contributor (unless otherwise noted). Permission for reprints or reproduction of the contents must be granted by the Editor and the author or contributor.

SUBMISSIONS: Members are invited and encouraged to submit articles and photos that would be of interest to the club.

Articles are preferred in Microsoft Word document format and photos in JPG or PNG formats. Please limit individual photo file sizes to 1mb or less to aid in keeping the PORSCHER a manageable size for our Website Director and Internet visitors.

PORSCHER — February 2016

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President’s Message First off I would like to thank Steve Fairbrother for reviving the club newsletter! Please help Steve and submit some content, it could be a little blurb on the last event you attended, or even how you ended up joining VIR. We have some new Executive members this year: Secretary – Michael Holan Newsletter Director – Steve Fairbrother Mid-Island Director – Don Munro South Island Director – Didier Moinier Those who have stuck around are: Competition Director – Conrad Peden Treasurer – Rob Smith Membership Director – Imogen Burr Webmaster – Rajesh Rao Vice President – James Renfrew North Island Director – Wendy Woodley Past President – Brad Blaney President – Martin Mansfield To learn more about the clubs current executive check out the bio page http://virpca.org/about-us/virpca-executive/ Derek Nickel left as Mid-Island Director after serving three years on the executive. Gary Glover left as Past President after serving a staggering 12 years on the executive (7 years as President, a PCA record?). I would like to thank them on behalf of our members for the incredible work and dedication to the club.

The new year marks the clubs 20th anniversary. On February 14th, our coffee meetings in Victoria and Nanaimo had a small celebration with cake. The club will be hosting a number of celebrations throughout the year to make sure everyone has a chance to attend. Along with 20th celebrations we have some other exciting events planned this year. Black Rock 2016 is sold out but you can still register on the wait list. On March 12 th Didier will lead us on a tour of Rotor Maxx in Parksville. If you want to check out more of the events planned for this year check out http://virpca.org/virevents It looks like its my turn on diaper duty, until next time!

Martin Mansfield President Vancouver Island Region

Editor’s Comment

Thank you for taking the time to read this issue of PORSCHER—the VIRPCA’s newsletter and my first as the new editor and on the club’s 20th anniversary!

In today’s world of instant communication via web news, Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds etc, some information you may read in this issue may be old news to you. So I am providing clickable links in the articles to pertinent web sites, to obtain the most up to date information, useful if you are reading this on your smart device or computer.

Hopefully the articles will also be useful to you from the point of view of tips and tricks, better ways to do things, interesting trips to consider in your cars, VIRPCA related events to put in your calendar and maybe plant a seed in your mind about changing your Porsche for another one — new or old, “change is good” right?

PORSCHER newsletter needs your input too, please consider writing an article or submitting a picture which is Porsche related, to my email on page 2.

While Martin took delivery of his baby recently, mine arrived last month—a new Macan S!

Steve Fairbrother Editor / Newsletter Director Vancouver Island Region PORSCHER — February 2016

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The Club recently received this letter from Porsche Cars North America marking our 20th anniversary!

PORSCHER — February 2016

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Here’s the front page from our first newsletter after we were chartered by the PCA in 1996

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Porsche Canada Camp4 January 26-29, Estèrel, Quebec

by Steve Fairbrother Porsche Camp4 is a multi-day event run by Porsche Canada, where you experience (maybe for the first time) driving on snow and ice and learn how to control a Porsche provided car, instructed by professional drivers on a closed track solely used by Porsche for the duration of the Camp4 events. Once you have been on Camp4, there are subsequent courses to go on if you wish to obtain further skills (Camp4S and Camp4RS).

Location Estèrel is about an hour’s highway drive north from Montreal. Transportation to and from Camp4 is at your expense, so you can spend a day before or after enjoying the sights and sounds of Montreal. The highway drive north was not that interesting and because of the snow/slush on the road, you had to wash the windscreen about every 10 seconds, it was not enough to leave it to an intermittent wipe as that left a dangerous, impenetrable haze. I was hoping that I had enough wash liquid in the tank to reach the hotel! When I finally turned off the highway, the roads were covered in packed snow and ice and I was glad of the mandatory winter tires fitted on the rental car by the time I reached my destination.

Hotel Arriving at Estérel Resort, a 4-star hotel, take advantage of the parking valet as the car would sit in the open air car park for 3 days and nights when it’s time to leave and the valets are skillful in removing snow quickly! The hotel is located at the edge of the frozen Lake Dupuis and there were great views of it from the restaurant, bar and bedrooms which were double the size of typical hotel rooms. For partners, not on the course, there were activities to choose such as snow shoeing, snowmobiling, hiking and of course, the spa!

Weather According to the hotel and event staff, it was unusually not cold for the location, but this time last year, temperatures were about -30c!

However, this year, it was sunny and 5c for the first day driving, the remainder was snowy and colder, maybe -5c but certainly not uncomfortable.

Left—Nokian studded tires used at Camp4 Above—Part of the Circuit Mecagliisse Below– All food and wine is included

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Clothing For most of the course, we were in cars, the coach, the hotel or the track restaurant, so apart from transferring between those, we did not need to wear really warm clothing. Most people wore jeans, a warm jacket and sometimes a hat. Good shoes were obviously required to walk and drive safely.

Event Registration started from 4pm on the day of arrival. We signed a waiver ($5,000 per incident), but as far as I know no one incurred that penalty!

We received further information and a nice Porsche Driving Experience bag complete with Mobil1 stainless steel flask. If you felt the need to splurge during the course there was a Porsche Selection area complete with a variety of goodies such as hats, jackets, tees, model cars etc.

Some attendees were Porsche owners, some were not and some were corporate attendees (from Porsche or other companies). According to the Camp4 organizer Jennifer Cooper, the drivers came from UK, Argentina, US, Mexico, New Zealand and of course Canada.

Our first meal as a group was at 7pm in the hotel restaurant and we chatted to each other during the multiple course dinner.

It was good to talk to fellow enthusiasts about their cars, experiences and stories while enjoying very good food and wine (all included). After the meal, some went off to the bar, others retired to their rooms because of an early start the next morning with a 7am breakfast.

Thanks to a good buffet breakfast, everyone was ready to get on with the day, after a driver briefing by the Porsche lead instructor Jonathan Urlin. Here the theory of braking and the “friction circle” was explained which helped in the understanding of the practical events later on. After the briefing we were taken by coach to the track, about 25 minutes from the hotel.

Track Circuit Mecaglisse was closed to the public while we were there, it is a race track which can be used all year round.

Although I had never been to a winter track before (so I didn't have anything to compare it too), the track and everything in it appeared to be maintained very well and of course there were lots of trackside Porsche banners. The track has many interconnected parts and so can be reconfigured with the use of cones to create multiple separate courses for different levels of difficulty or specific driving skills.

There were around 40 drivers, organized into 4 driving groups, which enabled the track to be utilized effectively as we were not waiting for other drivers to finish before doing our own session. We were paired up and remained in those pairs for the whole course switching over after trying a lap or a few circles etc. Each group had an instructor and a hostess assigned to them (see picture). The hostess, instructor and all the cars had a 2-way radio on a channel unique to that group. Sometimes a driver had a spin in which case the codriver should call “spin, spin, spin, everybody stop” over the radio, which worked very well. If somebody had a more spirited attempt and was embedded in a snow bank then the call for a Cayenne ‘tow truck’ was needed. I had a couple of spins and lightly prodded a snow bank but my group only needed one Cayenne call, other groups had a few more apparently! The always smiling hostesses assisted the instructor getting everyone ready, sending us onto the course on time and keeping things running smoothly.

Cars As I attended the first course this year, the cars were brand new. There were 4 sets, one set per group and each set had an instructor car resplendent in the Porsche racing colours/stripe. The PORSCHER — February 2016

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cars were all GTS models, with PDK and a good selection of options installed (e.g. Premium Package, GTS Communication Package, Adaptive Sports Seats Plus, Bose audio, leather). The models we used were:   

911 Carrera GTS MSRP $157,000, 3.8l, 6 cylinder, 430hp 911 Carrera 4 GTS (2 sets) $168,000, 3.8l, 6 cylinder, 430hp Cayman GTS $106,000, 3.4l, 4 cylinder, 340hp

TIP if you and your co-driver are different heights – use the Comfort Seat settings to store the positions.

So when you change over, you can just hold the button on the door to get your seat just right. As there are many change overs, you'll appreciate how much easier that is!

The Porsche 'pit crew' used Cayennes and Macans.

Photographer Of course, everyone was using their cell phones to take pictures and videos of the cars, people, track etc. while both in and out of the cars. However, there was an official photographer present and his photos were made available after the course on the Porsche Canada Camp4 photo website.

Driving The idea of the course is to learn to drive safely in winter conditions and the instructors do this in gradual steps, their analogy is learning to crawl, walk, jog and then run.

My group was led by instructor Keith and hostess Alyssa, we started with 2 cars at a time driving in circles, progressing on to short and long slaloms getting the rear out and recovering, then a combination of circles and slaloms. There was plenty of driving time to practice these techniques and there was a good run-off area on most of the tracks so that there was no worry of hitting anything expensive! After a good lunch at the track, we headed out again, switching cars and on to a different part of the course to experience something new.

On day 2, we learned the Scandinavian Rally Flick and drifting the 911 Carrera 4 GTS in circles (with the front wheels straight!), put all we had learned so far into driving on some joined courses on the track. It was good to have a longer course to try and we took a number of the cars around the track with multiple corners, gradients and driving conditions as some parts were soft snow and others parts were very icy where we were glad of the studded Nokian tires that had been fitted to the GTS cars.

The Porsche instructors at Camp4

Jonathan Urlin

Kees Nierop

Pierre Des Marais

Keith McIntosh

Travis Hill

Hot Lap At the end of the course, everyone was driven around the track with an instructor at the wheel. My driver for the hot lap was Kees Nierop who is a multiple champion and I suspect he is the most experienced driver in the instructor group (LeMans, Sebring, Daytona), Kees narrated his actions all the time and was probably driving at least double the speed we had been doing in our training! He drove sideways, past the snow banks at high speed aiming for a small gap in the bank ahead! That hot lap was certainly an unforgettable experience.

Looking back, the thing I remember the most is that everyone always had a smile on their face, it was so much fun and I am sure that we all learned something that was practical and could be put to use in our own cars if the need arose. The whole course was well organised and ran smoothly thanks to all the Porsche staff involved. I thoroughly recommend going to Camp4, arrange it via your Porsche dealer or through the Camp4 website at http://porschedrivingexperiencecanada.ca/en/ about/

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Information on the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit It seems that everyone is talking about the new Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit these days and asking questions—when will it be finished? Who can go on the track? How much does membership cost? Well, unfortunately at the moment we still do not have answers to all those questions but Peter Trzewik of GAIN has provided VIRPCA with some facts to whet our appetite in the meantime. Membership information however is still being worked on according to Peter — so watch this space! Those VIRPCA members who attended the AGM in December had the opportunity to walk the track and see the great progress that had been made then.. Now, in February, much more has been achieved by the many companies working on the project, especially around the Clubhouse which can be seen from the road. There is obviously more to be done to meet the demanding schedule, but based on what has been accomplished so far, I am sure that things will be ready for the first event—the Canadian launch of the Audi R8 The track is situated off Highway 18, Cowichan, just 5 minutes northwest of Duncan. Tilke Engineering (track designers) : have constructed many tracks & courses including Porsche, Daimler, COTA (Circuit of the Americas). SupErb Construction are the track constructors.

MAIN TRACK  Track length of the main course = 2.3 km  Maximum altitude rise = 20m over 280m (T1 & T3)  Maximum slope = 11.5% (between T4 & T5)  Maximum rise = 12.5% (T15)  Length of start finish straight = 215 m  Track width = 10 m (13m at start/finish)  19 turns = 19 (7 left turns, 12 right turns)  Paddock area = approx. 12,600 m2  Number of short-cuts = 4

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Possible track combinations = 7 Speed/time estimates - Porsche GT3 RS track top speed around 185kph, lap time 98s (see map). 500cc race motor bike around 210kph, lap time 70s 

The safety lines and run-off areas should provide security for all drivers and in addition to classic gravel beds, the paved runoff areas should ensure no serious impact to the vehicle in emergency situations, so the track is also well suited for inexperienced drivers.

FOREST TRACK (off-road course)  Hill climb (21% rise and 35% slope)  Deep water cross  Log bridge tree trunks  Deep gravel bed  Swing plate  Concrete cones  One-side-twisting hills CLUB HOUSE The Club House will house:  Pit Garages  Lounge  Classrooms  Observation deck  Gourmet Kitchen  Presentation area ROAD SAFETY TRAINING CENTRE Skid plate / dynamic area:  Hydraulically operated skid plate pulls the rear wheels of the vehicle sideward to invoke a skid  Slippery surface 100m long and 10m wide with two vertical water fountains Circle:  48m diameter circle  Two water obstacles can block all or parts of the track to create different braking/avoidance situations For up to date news of the progress, please see the website at http://islandmotorsportcircuit.com/.

Images courtesy of Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit

Black Rock — May 26-29 2016 Those of you who registered online should have received an email recently advising if you managed to secure a place at Black Rock this year. If you haven’t heard, please contact the Black Rock Committee at virblackrock@gmail.com The Black Rock Committee ask that if you wish to sponsor or donate something for this year’s Black Rock events, please also contact them. Below is information about sponsorship etc.

There are two different forms of sponsorship, one is financial for our event, the other is auction items for our charities — “Cops for Cancer” Tour de Rock and Ucluelet Volunteer Fire Brigade. Financial sponsorship levels include entry into our event brochure.      

>= $1500 includes a colour full page add, (Sponsor named for hosting, Friday night or Saturday night or Sunday brunch.

1 Spot remaining >= $1000 includes non-colour full page add, Sponsor named for hosting one of the events. 4 spots remaining >= $500 includes non-colour ½ page add, 3 spots remaining >= $350 includes non-colour ¼ page add, 6 spots remaining >= $250 includes non-colour business card add, 10 spots remaining or $100 non-colour business card adds, for sale. No limit Check out our website pages for Black Rock at http://virpca.org/xpassword/ br2016/ where you can find the latest information and event listing for the exciting 4 days in Tofino!

Don’t forget to secure your resort accommodation for your stay at the Black Rock Resort via http://www.blackrockresort.com/ or 1-877-762-5011

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YOUR 2016 VIR UPCOMING EVENTS February 28 11am - 2pm $22 Info here

Mid – Island Lunch & Drive Time to get the cars out, come to the Cowichan Valley for a great lunch, meet old friends and go for a casual post meal drive, weather permitting

Cowichan Golf & Country Club 4955 Trans Canada Hwy Cowichan Valley Contact: Don Munro

March 12 Info here

Rotor Maxx Tour Tour of Rotor Maxx’s facility in Parksville. They specialize in the overhaul and repair of Sikorsky S-61 helicopter components and engines

Rotor Maxx, 1420 Springhill Rd Parksville, V9P 2T2 Contact: Didier Moinier

April 23-24 Info here

The VP VIP Rally and Rest More info to come

Contact: James Renfrew

April 30 or May 1 US $48 Info here

Pacific Northwest Region – GT1 ”Show & Tell“ PCA Pacific Northwest Region is inviting members of the VIRPCA to its GT1 “Show and Tell”. An event like this is so unique and rarely happens, the PNWR is sharing it with other PCA Regions and other Car Clubs in the Northwest.

Contact: John Mueller in PCA Pacific NW Region

May 8 Info here

Victoria Brunch & Drive More info to come

Contact: Brad Blaney

May 26-29 $175 + Info here

Black Rock 2016 The club’s annual fun and fundraising event in support of “Cops for Cancer” Tour de Rock and Ucluelet Volunteer Fire Brigade

Black Rock Oceanfront Resort 596 Marine Drive Ucluelet, V0R 3A0 Contact: Dan Bourlet

June 12 2pm – 9pm Info here

Autocross More info to come

Western Speedway 2207 Millstream Rd Langford, V9B 6H2 Contact: Conrad Peden

June 18 Info here

VIRPCA Membership / 20th Anniversary Lunch and Drive More info to come

Contact: Imogen Burr

Cowichan Valley Rally More info to come

Contact: Malcolm & Lucille Baster

June 26 Info here

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YOUR 2016 VIR UPCOMING EVENTS (CONTINUED) July 1 Info here

Canada Day Parade More info to come

Contact: Wendy Woodley

August 5-7 Info here

North Island Escape More info to come

Black Bear Resort Hotel 1812 Campbell Way, Port McNeill V0N 2R0 Contact: Martin Mansfield

Sept 18 Info here

Port Renfrew Loop / Marine Circle Route More info to come

Contact: Michael Holan

Oct 16 8am—6pm Info here

Autocross (+ chilli cook-off) More info to come

Contact: Conrad Peden

Oct 23 Info here

Vancouver Island Helicopters Tour More info to come

Viscount Aero 9800 McDonald Park Rd Sidney, V8L 1Y7 Contact: Didier Moinier

Nov 5 Info here

Year End Gathering More info to come

Contact: Brad Blaney

Waze app The smartphone GPS app WAZE is free and uses crowd sourcing of other users. Set your destination before starting and just by using the app and driving, it contributes to road traffic conditions feedback for everyone else using the app.

Navigate to the cheapest gas stations on your route, all powered by community shared gas prices. By working together to report prices at the pump, Waze drivers can always save some gas money.

Please obey the law regarding electronic device use while driving. Refer to MVA sections 25, 210 & 214

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Bits & Pieces Goodie Store Is Open

New 718 Boxster and Boxster S

We have some VIRPCA license plate holders for $10

Also T-Shirts are available for $20 in various sizes and colours (Black, White & Grey) White Shirt VIR logo XL - 1 L-1 Med -5 Small - 2 Black shirt VIR logo XL - 8 L - 10

Grey L-2

Named after the mid-engine racer built between 1957-1962

Engine (Turbo) Max HP / Torque 0-100 kph

Boxster 2.0 300 / 280 4.9s (Man)

Top Speed MSRP

275 kph $63,900

Boxster S 2.5 350 / 310 4.6s (Man) 4.4s (PDK) 4.2s (+Chrono) 285 kph $78,000 $81,660 (PDK)

Hopefully a review on this new model is coming shortly!

Old Logo 4 white 1 Black Quantities remaining are limited, so order quickly!

Please contact Martin Mansfield to purchase anything

Your 2016 VIRPCA Executive (photo by Don Layman) PORSCHER — February 2016

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