The Voice of the Vancouver Island Region of the PCA Volume 19 Issue 2 March 2016
CONTENTS President’s Message / Editor’s Comment / Memberships
Page 3
Escape to Mt. Rushmore
Page 5
Porsche 911 R
Page 7
Recent VIRPCA Events’ Reports
Page 10
Caption Competition
Page 11
Alcan 5000 Rally
Page 12
Upcoming VIR PCA Events
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PORSCHER MARCH 2016 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 2
YOUR 2016 EXECUTIVE President
Martin Mansfield president@virpca.org
Vice President
James Renfrew vicepresident@virpca.org
COVER : 911 R (picture courtesy Porsche Cars North America)
Secretary
Michael Holan secretary@virpca.org
Find us on Facebook :www.facebook.com/VIRPCA
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
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.
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
PCA Zone 6 Representative
Tim Hagner simtue@gmail.com
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: The deadline for the next issue is the last Friday of the month.
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President’s Message April has arrived with some great weather! Recently we had a great opportunity to explore Rotor Maxx. Well over 20 members attended for the 1½ hour tour. I wonder if one of those engines would fit in a 911? I was able to travel down to this years Presidents’ Meeting in Spokane Valley. All of the Zone 6 presidents were in attendance except for Living Skies Prairie. The main focus of the meeting was membership and the clubs demographic. Apparently younger members like myself are very rare! I am excited to announce that Caren Cooper (National President) and Tim Hagner (Zone 6 Rep) will be in attendance for this years Black Rock event, so if you have not yet registered, put your name on the wait list! Please don’t forget to send our newsletter director and myself pictures that you take at events. We would love to post your pictures on Facebook and in our newsletter!
Martin Mansfield President
Editor’s Comment Many thanks for all the emails wishing me success and those who liked my debut edition of our Porscher newsletter, it makes all those last few, late nights worthwhile. The PCA run an annual contest to see which region has the best newsletter, it is currently in progress for the 2015 newsletters, so we are not in that one—maybe next year? However, looking at the standard of many other regions’ productions, we have bit to go. However, I hope you all agree that ‘it is better to aim for the sky and miss, than to aim for the ground and hit’, so onwards and upwards we shall go! We’ve had a couple of VIRPCA events completed at the time of writing, so please if you do attend an event, feel free to put a few words together on your view of it and send it along to us with any pictures you have, it makes more interesting reading for your fellow members to hear about those trips from a variety of points of view. As I live in Lake Cowichan and it’s the end of March now, I can take off those winter tires and put on the summer ones and stretch those 340 horses in my Macan a bit more. Let me know what brand of tires do you prefer and why? Have you had any real performance or longevity issues with certain brands? It would be interesting to compile some thoughts from our members, so send me your experiences please. If we get some significant statistics or facts, I’ll find some room to publish them in a future edition.
Steve Fairbrother Editor / Newsletter Director
Memberships as of March 1st :- 240 Primary, 146 Affiliates New members :Phillip Clark (911 Carrera), Stephen Hentschel (911 GT3)
Anniversaries :Krystyna Holan, Leslie Siegrist, Wesley Siegrist, Brook Hoole, Ernie Kowal, Yvonne Kowal, Bruce & Sheila Ramsay, Calvin & Sarah Lee, Michael Psyllakis, Yoko Noda, Peter Moss, Don Gosse, Bill Lupton & Bridget Cassidy-Keais, Ronald Skinner & Paddy Thistle, Andrew & Nola Jackson, Hermann & Ulrike Renz, Laura Ferreira & Stephen Titus PORSCHER — March 2016
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Escape to Rushmore: September 25th - October 9th 2015 By Al Sherwood Three cars from the Vancouver Island Region made the trek to Rapid City South Dakota for the 2015 Escape. The maps shows the basic journey and lists out to just shy of 5000km, but add to this the drives and adventures to see the sites and the total distance travelled was closer to 6500km over the 14 days! The Titterton’s and the Sherwood’s traveled together and Mr. Newbert flew solo to rendezvous at the event. Although some time was inevitably spent on the major highways on route, where ever possible roads and the path less travelled to see the country. The pictures here are but a few of the nearly this trip. We did have a little rain in spots, well OK a lot of rain on a couple of days but we unseasonably warm weather with many days into the mid 20’s! For the most part traffic was
we took side 750 taken on also enjoyed light with the
exception being north of Seattle before heading east on the Steven Pass Highway and on the way in and out of Portland. We were fortunate to be a part of the largest Escape thus far with a total of 285 cars attending, we met new people and even connected with friends that we had made at previous Escapes and Parades. An event such as this shows that the common thread is the woven with the cars but the tapestry is the scenic locations and the people that attend, the Black Hills with the Badlands, the rich history of locations like Deadwood, Spearfish Canyon and Mt Rushmore served up an incredible experience that provided us with many
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(Continued from page 5)
great memories. If you haven’t yet been a part of one of these events you are truly missing out on what being a part of this extended family has to offer!
Outside of Cody Wyoming
Astoria Washington
Old Faithful
Iron Mountain Road
Custer State Park (Don Quixote Road? Ed)
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The New 2016 Porsche 911 R Celebrating its world debut at the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show, the new 2016 Porsche 911 R follows the first road-homologated race car bearing the name in 1967. Produced as part of a limited production series, the original 911 R (R for Racing) was entered in rallies, in the Targa Florio and in world record runs. Like its legendary predecessor, the new 911 R features a systematic lightweight construction, a high level of performance and an unfiltered driving experience. The 911 R is limited to 991 units worldwide, and represents the lightest available version of the 911 with a curb weight of 3,021 lbs. Powered by a 500hp four-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the 911 R is the third model to use Porsche’s latest generation of high-performance naturally aspirated flat-six engines alongside the trackbred 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 RS models. Powering the 911 R is the four-liter flat-six familiar from the 911 GT3 RS. The powertrain delivers 500hp at 8,250 rpm and generates 338 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,250 rpm. The 911 R can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 3.7 seconds and reach a top track speed of 200mph. The model is available exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission featuring short, performance oriented gear ratios. Track-bred technology The 911 R was designed with corners in mind. The specially tuned standard rear-axle steering offers direct turnin response and precise handling while maintaining a high level of stability. The mechanical rear differential lock ensures a maximum amount of traction, while the standard Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system with 16.1 inch front and 15.4 inch rear rotors offers ultimate braking performance. Ultra-high performance tires measuring 245mm at the front and 305mm at the rear generate significant levels of grip. They are mounted on forged, lightweight 20-inch wheels with a matte aluminum finish and center locking hubs. Porsche Stability Management (PSM) has been specifically calibrated for the 911 R by Porsche’s motorsport department. A rev-match function, which can be activated at the touch of a button, is a standard feature, while a single-mass flywheel is available as an option, sharpening the responsiveness of the engine even further. A front axle lift system can also be optionally equipped to maximize everyday practicality: it can increase the ground clearance of the front axle by approximately 1.2 inches at the touch of a button. Weighing 3,021 lbs, the 911 R is 110 lbs lighter than the 911 GT3 RS. The front luggage compartment lid and the front fenders are made of carbon fiber, while the roof is made of magnesium, lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity. Reduced interior insulation and the omission of rear seats also help to reduce weight. The 911 R comes standard without an air conditioning or audio system. They can be ordered at no extra charge. PORSCHER — March 2016
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GT racing technology Under the skin, the 911 R engine comes from the 911 GT3 RS. All the lightweight components of the body and the complete chassis have been adopted from the 911 GT3. Road use being the priority, the 911 R does without the fixed rear wing characteristic of the 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 RS models. Instead, an automatically deployed rear spoiler, familiar from the 911 Carrera models, and a rear underbody diffuser specific to the 911 R provide the necessary downforce. Front and rear fascia components are taken from the 911 GT3. The Sport Exhaust System is made of lightweight titanium, as is the case for the 911 GT3 RS. A redesigned spoiler lip is installed at the front. Optional Porsche logos on the side of the vehicle and color stripes in red or green running over the center of the car display the connection to its legendary predecessor. The 911 R is equipped with full bucket seats with carbon fiber backrests and seat centers upholstered in hound's-tooth design, paying homage to the original 911 of the 1960s. A “911 R-specific” GT Sport steering wheel measuring 14.1 inches in diameter awaits the driver’s commands. Gearshifts can be carried out via a shortened, R-specific gear lever. Carbon fiber interior trim strips with an embedded aluminum badge on the passenger side indicate the limited production number of the 911 R. A feature typical of GT vehicles, the conventional handles are replaced with door opening loops. In Canada, the MSRP of the 911 R is $211,000.
Copyright 2016 Porsche Cars North America
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Recent VIRPCA Events’ Reports Mid-Island Lunch and Drive. Organised by Don Munro 47 people attended the Lunch and Drive event at the Cowichan Golf & Country Club on Sunday February 28th. After the meal, approximately 22 cars drove on a route around the Cowichan valley which was enjoyed by all although the weather did not cooperate 100% of the time! Steve Fairbrother
Rotor Maxx Tour. Organised by Didier Moinier. When we arrived at Rotor Maxx, we were greeted by about 20 members from the south and mid-Island. After a very interesting 1½ hour tour of the large and very clean facility, we proceeded to the beautiful CView Restaurant, Qualicum Beach Inn for a delicious lunch. Gary and I had the pleasure of sitting next to Mark & Angela Unsworth, new members who drive a 1990 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet, from Duncan, formerly of Nottingham, England. A great time was enjoyed by all, under sunny skies, a bonus for the middle of March. Thank you Didier for organizing. Wendy Woodley, Up Island Director. Pictures (Steve F):- A General Electric helicopter engine. Mechanism to connect rotors to main shaft. (See red/blue colour coded parts). A completed gearbox and main rotor shaft. Part of the gearbox, showing planetary gears.
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Black Rock — May 26th-29th 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. None 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, 5 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
Caption Competition
Send your caption entries to newsletter@virpca.org the best entry should win something from the President’s goodie store!
If anyone has any funny photos that we can feature in the newsletter, please send to the editor at the above email address.
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Alcan 5000 Rally by Klaus Kreye Here is a compilation of reports sent out during the course of the Alcan Rally – hence the short and to-thepoint style. To back up for a moment: Johan and myself completed the 2012 Alcan Winter rally in my Honda CR-V. We had a LOT of fun and somewhere in a pub (on the South Island of New Zealand) over a few beers, we hatched a plan to do it again. We would have liked to use older 911’s but they are becoming a bit too pricey. So we settled for a pair of 944’s as Wendy and Elke wanted to come too. So sometime towards the end of February two cars were seen leaving Victoria en route to Kirkland: Car #9 with Elke and myself Car #10 with Wendy and Johan
Day 1 took us from the start in Kirkland (just north of Seattle) to Quesnel. Long day including two TSD stages. Weather fine and warm. Score: Car 9 - 188 points, 10th overall Car 10 - 245 points, 13th overall
Day 2
took us from Quesnel to Grimshaw, AB including two TSD stages around Quesnel. Again very little snow/ice on the roads, just wet and muddy, as you can see from the pictures. After the two stages were finished (around 11ish) we ran just about straight through to get to Grimshaw by 7pm. Really long day but we got in to the hotel as one of the first, we didn't "hang around" on the roads! The Blackwater road claimed some victims: Car 13 (Ford Focus) overtook us and immediately afterwards ran up the embankment - both occupants ok. The Audi went down the side of the road into the deep snow. So some folks will likely get in very late tonight.... Car 4 took a wrong turn and nearly took out Johan and Wendy.
Cars are running just fine with similar fuel consumption. My car has not used a drop of oil so far and the Nitto tyres (sponsored) are gripping just great. No TSD's tomorrow - just a long drive Yellowknife.
Day 3
We wanted cold…. and cold we got! Today saw us running the long haul from Grimshaw, AB to Yellowknife, NT. A shade under 1,000km! We hit the road just before 8am, overcast and just below zero. Absolute minimal snow, but it gradually got colder as we took the straight road north. Pretty soon we hit negative double digits and the road started to show dry snow and then some mildly slushy sections. Not enough to cause any traction problems, but more than enough to get the cars real dirty again. We fueled up at High Level and at Fort Providence. There was very little in between. Some good “running” was done on the open sections before we hit the very bumpy last 90 km to Yellowknife. Temperatures kept dropping steadily and by the time we stopped at our hotel it was -25C, so out came the extension leads to plug in for the night. We had a battery blanket and a sump heater, each around 125W or so.
Day 4 dawned clear and cold … as in -34C!
Car 9 started with a HUGE cloud of black smoke. The gearbox oil was so thick the car tried to creep forward whilst cranking. A few “rattly” noises and it soon settled PORSCHER — March 2016
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down. Car 10 would not start. The lights came on and then everything went off as Johan turned the key to the start position. It turned out that we both had problems with the contacts in the ignition switch. During a later start up my car ran, but absolutely none of the instruments were working as I drove out to Vee Lake – the scene of the morning’s ice racing activities. All interior switches were super stiff; some did not want to move – like the turn-signal stalk on the steering column. Unfortunately that meant Johan had to sit out the ice racing. The track was nicely laid out, but quite short. Traction on the two end turns (180 degrees each) was very poor and during my first run I did a nice ”360” on exit of the far corner. I played it safe on run 2 and ran conservatively, still beating the time of my first run by near 10 seconds. The four-wheel-drive cars ran in about 1:06, I managed a 1:28 and 1:19. I’ll see when I can lay my hands on some official scores. During the event Johan chatted to some locals and they graciously offered assistance. Later in the afternoon car 10 started after having placed a hand warmer heat-pack around the ignition. Cut a long story short – our cars are now parked in a warm garages courtesy of Ulli Notting and John McLean. THANKS GUYS! Day 5 will be a long haul to Nelson, where there will be some kind of local promotion and apparently our cars will be on display. Long miles … long days…
Day 5 No TSD today – just transit
Our cars started up just fine after the night in the garage, back to the hotel, load up, find the Shell to fill up and head out. We started out at -31 and after some hrs on the road the temps started to steadily climb – by end of day we were at a “balmy” -8C. Our route took us back down the bumpy road to Fort Providence and over the Mackenzie river bridge. Then we headed west on HWY 1 to travel through some of the most remote country, obviously no cell coverage. A great day, fine weather (as you can see from the blue skies in the pics) and quite decent roads. A mix of tar (asphalt) gravel and snow covered roads. Thankfully little ice or washboard, so we were able to run a reasonable average. After our late afternoon fuel stop in Ft Laird we saw our first bison. We arrived in Ft Nelson just after dark to hear that the town had voted to remain on Mountain (Alberta) time zone, so we did not gain the hour that we hoped for. I had called ahead and the manager had kindly arranged for us to park the 944’s in the truck workshop right next door.
Day 6
Up early to retrieve our cars, pack, breakfast and ready for an 8am TSD start. It was a short 11 mile TSD out to the local airport. The entire rally runs on miles and seeing my speedo only works 50% of the time and my odo does not work at all, it does not matter. We had chosen to use an iPhone app called “speedbox” which we used throughout. It runs in miles or km and tracks distance irrespective of wheel slip/spin. Anyway, the airport TSD went off fine for us. On the return leg we saw cars all over the show. We run in strict numerical order, one minute apart, so when car 20 was ahead of use (we are #9) and car 17 comes flying past form behind we knew this was going to be a “fun” score! Unfortunately, Johan and Wendy took a wrong turn, so the scores for car 10 dropped a bit. After the TSD we grabbed a hot choc at Tim’s and headed west towards Whitehorse. Soon the road started to climb to the highest point on the Alcan Hwy – just over 4,000ft. That meant the road was well covered in traction gravel for the trucks. The warmer weather meant the heavy trucks pounded the gravel and melting snow into a wonderful layer of wet mud, which proceeded to cover our cars entirely – they now certainly look like they’ve been on the road! The slippery conditions kept our average speeds low, it was only in the afternoon that is got nice and dry and the good forward visibility on straight roads and very little traffic meant we could “wick it up” a bit. We passed “many” and after a single fuel stop in Watson Lake we got in to Whitehorse at dusk. The model change 1985.5 on the Porsche 944 meant our cars were fitted PORSCHER — March 2016
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with 80 litre tanks, which we used to full advantage over the next few days. Overall scores to date: Car 9 – 309 points – 9th overall – second in vintage class Car 10 – 400 points – 12th overall – third in vintage class
Day 7 Today had a series of TSD’s planned before the border crossing to the USA and the long drive to Fairbanks, AK.
It was my turn to make a mistake: there was an error in my calculations for the first of four TSD’s. (my incorrect allowance for a 90 sec delay (150 cents) threw out the totals). That meant a high (=poor) score for stage 1, but we managed to score well on the other 3 stages of the day. TSD’s were completed by noon and we started the long, 950km haul to Fairbanks. We pretty much pushed through and got in well after dark. I think this was our longest day on the road. I had called ahead and we were lucky enough to park our cars in a heated garage. Overall scores after day 7: Car 10 – 495 points – 9th overall Car 9 – 547 points – 11th overall
Day 8 There were two options: either a long drive to Coldfoot and the Arctic circle or a more relaxed drive to Chena Hot
Springs and Ice museum. We chose the latter, just as well! We headed out late and drove out to Chena, looked at the village, the remote runway and saw the two airplanes plugged in (to remain warm). After the 1pm tour of the ice museum we waited way too long for lunch in the restaurant before heading back. We fueled up ready for the next day and Johan mentioned a noise. Back in our garage we checked out the cars and found Johan’s front right wheel bearing badly loose and unable to tighten it up. One of the local NAPA stores was open late and we were able to buy a set of bearings. Unfortunately the inner race was tight on the stub axle and Johan was unable to replace the bearing. We retreated to the bar to plan our strategy.
Day 9
Elke and I completed the last TSD stage and Johan limped the car down to a repair shop to get the bearing job done. After we completed the TSD we stopped off at the other NAPA branch to buy a seal and then met up with Johan and Wendy at the repair shop. The seal was wrong, so we went back to exchange it. Elke and I then headed out again to do a few chores (buy champagne and chocolate – real important stuff!!). Our two cars then set off around 11am for the drive down to Anchorage. We hit some really good sections of road and made great time, getting in around 6pm. The evening banquet concluded the rally proceedings. There were various awards in all sorts of classes and of course a finisher’s award for those that made it. Our two Porsches received an “honourable mention” for our perseverance in “fettling” the old cars to complete the rally. Overall results—We narrowly missed 9th overall…. out of a total of 26 starters:10th position – 509 points – car 9 (Kreye/LeRoux) 13th position – 629 points – car 10 (Booyens/Booyens) In our navigational class (SOP) we came 3rd and 5th respectively out of 11.
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YOUR 2016 VIRPCA Upcoming Events 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 This is now cancelled, contact Conrad for details (as you can enter the Corvette club event in Nanaimo)
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
Info here
Cowichan Valley Rally More info to come
Contact: Malcolm & Lucille Baster
July 1 Info here
Canada Day Parade More info to come
Contact: Wendy Woodley
North Island Escape More info to come
Black Bear Resort Hotel 1812 Campbell Way, Port McNeill V0N 2R0 Contact: Martin Mansfield
June 26
August 5-7 Info here
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YOUR 2016 VIR Upcoming Events (continued) 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
Goodie Store Is Open 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 Old Logo 4 white 1 Black
Quantities remaining are limited, so order quickly! Please contact your VIRPCA President Martin Mansfield to purchase anything
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