Porscher 2023 04

Voice of the Vancouver Island Region

Vir executives

President

Garth Webber Atkins president@virpca.org

secretary

Sam Auerbach secretary@virpca.org

Director north island

Martin Jager northisland@virpca.org

Director south island

Stuart Macleod

southisland@virpca.org

Webmaster chair

Dave Nickel webmaster@virpca.org

Rally chair

Klaus Kreye rally@virpca.org

Insurance chair

James Renfrew porsche@jamesrenfrew.com

Vice president

Ron Dempsey vicepresident@virpca.org

treasurer A.J. Papp treasurer@virpca.org

Director mid island

Detlef Ehrhardt

midisland@virpca.org

Database IT chair

Steve Fairbrother

steve.fairbrother@gmail.com

Membership chair

Kathleen Short membership@virpca.org

Tech / classics chair

Paul Rossmo

paul.rossmo@prhistorics.com

Past president

Tim Evans

timothyeevans@proton.me

Spring at last! Join your fellow VIR members to welcome its arrival with free coffee at the Spring Start-up Cars and Coffees – April 2 in Victoria, April 8 in Campbell River, and April 9 in Parksville. Come out to say hi and “fuel up” on java courtesy of VIR.

Later on in the month, Ron Dempsey will lead a drive to Tacoma, Washington to tour the LeMay museum, which currently has a display

honouring Porsche’s 75th Anniversary. See MSR for details if you are not already signed up.

On the 25th, join Steve Fairbrother for a tech session at Detail Garage in Victoria. Register at: 2023 Tech Night - Detail Garage info on Apr 25, 2023 (173975) | MotorsportReg.com.

Make sure to sign up for our new May weekend charity event “Wochenende at Crown Isle” May 25-28. You can drive, hike, golf or just relax and hang out with PAC members from across Zone 6.

Porsche AG will be hosting 75th Anniversary activities in Stuttgart June 9, 10 and 11, and all Porsche Club members are invited. On Friday, June 9, 2023, there will be a Porsche Community Party for Porsche Club members. On June 10 and 11, there will be many activities at the Festival of Dreams at the Hockenhiemring. Free tickets will become available online in early or mid-April. Watch this site and your e-mail for more information in April.

Best regards,

WHEN PORSCHE LOVE MEETS ART

In only five years, Aro’s career in the art industry led her to exhibit on five continents. She won several awards, including a gold medal in 2021 in Paris

Former First Lady Michelle Obama owns one of her paintings from the Pure Collection. Aro has been appraised internationally in 2020 and entered museum level in France that same year.

In September 2022, she was published in the prestigious Architectural Digest

She is the only artist recognized in Quebec by the Corporation des Concessionaires Automobiles du Québec for painting on

automotive parts and giving older car pieces a new purpose by turning them into works of art. You can read further on Aro’s accomplishments here

My passion for Porsche was born when I met the love of my life. He shared with me his passion for Porsche cars and the desire to own one someday. Now his dream has come true twice rather than once. He is even an instructor for the Porsche Club since 10 years.

It was therefore natural for me to consider combining our two passions. Furious is my ode to the intensity that defines us. Having verve, ambition and wanting to stand out is part of us. Live intensely, believe that anything is possible and dream big! Oh yeah!

Meet Furious: a one-ofa-kind artwork painted in acrylic on a fibreglass hood of a vintage G-body Porsche 911.

Furious (see video here) was born from a union between Aro, an internationally recognized contemporary abstract painter, and her partner, a seasoned Porsche instructor for the Porsche Club of America. Two passions colliding resulting in a unique piece currently on display at Porsche Victoria Centre and available for sale by Avant-Garde Art (avantgardeart.ca), agent for Aro in Western Canada.

Each work has a story. Aro provides an explanation behind each piece describing its meaning and how she felt when she created it. Furious is a love story.

All Aro’s artworks are original and come with a certificate of authenticity and an automatic enrolment to Aro’s VIP Club Collectors allowing you to obtain access to upcoming private and exclusive events. Furious is 47”x 52” and can be displayed like a painting on a wall. It is $12,800 with taxes.

AVANT-GARDE ART is a Victoria-based art dealer and agent representing fine art Canadian contemporary visual artists and specializes in commissioned work.

Caroline Bergeron contact@avantgardeart.ca

250.818.9208

avantgardeart.ca

Volunteers

Interested in helping Vancouver Island Region? Let us know!

What makes the PCA so special is the variety of events that are organized by volunteers with a diverse and deep set of skills gained through careers or other life experiences. This is a busy time of year as we plan regional events for 2023, and we often need help to make things run as smoothly as possible.

Not everyone wants to take on organizing a drive or multi-day event, but quite often those who do are looking for help with registration, 'sweep' (following a group of cars to make sure that nobody gets left behind), or someone to take on a specific task like booking a lunch location.

If you've given thought to helping out in some way, please email me with your name and interest areas or any skills that you think the club might need. I'll gather that list together to provide to event organizers as planning continues over the next few months.

If you're interested in helping the club out for an event, send an email with 'volunteer' in the title to Ron Dempsey, vicepresident@virpca.org

Hi there!

Hope everybody is doing great! Spring is in the air and you just see more and more members taking their cars out for a drive! I attended the last two Cars and Coffees in Parksville, and the amount of Porsches and members there was just awesome! So cool to meet great people and share stories! If you’ve never attended a Cars and Coffee, please do!

For this months issue I went to see Bill Johnson. Bill was so nice to invite me to his home in Victoria and talk about his European delivery of the Porsche GT3. What an amazing experience. Everything is meticulously documented and archived in a big binder. Awesome to share that with the members. Thank you, Bill! And thank you, Steve Fairbrother to start the conversation with Bill a while back. Check out the article on page 12.

I also met up with John Clark and Derek Nickel to film their cars. Sort of like a highlight video. Both beautiful cars! Yes, that is John’s car on the cover! And go to page 44 to read all about Derek’s work and upgrades on Chippy.

For my visit to the Netherlands at the end of this month, I am going on a tour of Porsche Centrum Gelderland AND Porsche Classic Center Gelderland. Check out the videos on the next page. I am very excited to go there and meet the owner. Thank you to John Simons of the Dutch Porsche Club for arranging this cool visit! I will also go ‘buy’ a brand new Porsche at Porsche Destination in Rotterdam. Both exciting visits that I will share with you in the May or June issue of Porscher.

Porsche Centrum Gelderland Moodfilm

Porsche Classic Center Gelderland Moodfilm

In my formative years, I never owned high performance sports cars. I couldn’t afford them. My first car I bought for $50, and my second was $150. After growing up on the prairies and graduating with an Engineering degree, I began working on the West Coast. I married my beautiful wife of 50 years, began a career, then moved to Victoria and we started a family, all the while saving to pay for our first house. Having the luxury of a sportscar was the furthest thing from my mind. As I approached the end of my working career, with our children having completed their education and having begun their own careers, my finances evolved, and I began thinking about treating myself to a new car.

When I began looking for a sportscar, my attention turned to Porsches. A lot of Porsche owners begin with a well-used older model and trade up every few years. As I was approaching 60 years old and structuring my imminent retirement, I figured I didn’t have time to follow that

process. I thought I might like a 911 Carrera. I learned from Tyson that Porsche was bringing out a new 2010 version of their GT3. I had seen an earlier model GT3 in Europe a few years prior, and thought they looked cool. That kind of got my blood rushing. So I went down to Speedway Motors and ordered one. It would be the first 2010 GT3 on the Island. I had never sat in one, but I hoped that with my 6 foot 4 inch frame I could fit. I didn’t know if I could get it up my steep curb and driveway (I later figured out that if I 45’d it and lifted my front right wheel off the ground by about a foot, I could 3 wheel it over the curb and into my garage). Then I found out that Porsche offered a “factory delivery”. So I planned a pick up in Stuttgart, and waited the long 5 months for the production to be scheduled and completed.

”our son, Tyson, had always had a passion for fast exotic sports cars. His passion inspired me”

I learned that my delivery date was September 21, 2009. The European delivery was evolving into an experience of a lifetime. A few months before the pickup date, my wife, Donna and I began the planning process (mostly Donna, as she was the exemplary tour planner for all of our excursions). We thought that we should spend a month in Europe and drive the countryside. Knowing the passion that Tyson had for performance cars, Donna then suggested that I fly over with Tyson (then 28 years old), pick up the car, and the 2 of us would drive it for 2 weeks. We would then meet Donna in Paris. After a weekend in Paris, Tyson would fly home, and Donna and I would continue on our road trip for a further 4 weeks before returning the car to Stuttgart. I didn’t know if such an extended time away from my

business could be arranged, so we didn’t yet discuss this possibility with our son.

At that time, I was officially retiring in a few months. With trepidation, I approached my business partners and asked if they would allow me to take the 6 weeks off. Graciously, they agreed. Six weeks it would be. We then invited Tyson. All 3 of us were “over the moon” with anticipation. Not only would I be taking delivery of a new car, it would be a custom ordered Porsche, and it would be the newest edition GT3 – naturally aspirated flat six with a short-shift 6 speed stick and 435 BHP - and I would be picking it up with our 28 year-old son, and driving it for 6 weeks. Even 13 years later I still get shivers just thinking about the experience. With purpose and no turning back, Donna and I completed our itinerary.

A Porsche European Factory Delivery is quite an experience, and one that I would highly recommend, if ever given the opportunity. It is one thing to visit the historic brick factory in Zuffenhausen, a suburb of Stuttgart. It is another to drive a GT3 through the mountain passes and rolling hills throughout Europe on the roads for which it was designed.

To drive a high-performance car throughout Europe on roads that are meant to be aggressively driven is something that is difficult to replicate in North America. Sure, on this continent, there are sections of roads that are a thrill to drive. We are especially blessed to live on the Island, within short distances to travel to Tofino, or Whistler, or the Okanagan, or through the Canadian Rockies. But to drive the European “B” roads through Tuscany and

southern France, and travel the mountain passes and tunnels through Austria and Northern Italy, and experience sweaty hands and tight shoulders for an hour or two with little or no traffic or speed controls – what a thrill.

”europe is where I could stretch the legs of “The Beast” and get closer to the Porsche’s design limits”

The experience is enhanced by the European culture and the people themselves. They love fast cars. From the children to the elderly – they all love fast cars. It seems to be in their blood. They love sculpture and classic architecture. They take pleasure in beautiful shapes and forms. They understand and appreciate engineering marvels and the history and generations of effort and commitment to make the vision a reality. The people are a pleasure that adds to the experience. The old and young grin and wave when you pass them on the roads. When driving through the kilometers of tunnels through the Alps and Dolomites, truckers can see you approaching at speed through their rear-view mirrors, hear the deafening and reverberating roar of your engine, roll down their windows and give you a big “thumbs-up”, all while honking their horns in appreciation.

Surprisingly, there are not as many sports cars in European countries as in British Columbia. They are just too expensive to purchase there. On a world basis, Canada is one of the least expensive places to own a sports car. The Europeans are appreciative of those being able to fulfil their dreams.

Most of us recognize the shape of European license plates – those long and narrow ones, at least the front plates. When we picked up the GT3 at the factory, it is licensed with an “export” plate –white background with black letters and numbers, and a red patch at the side of it. The red patch has a date on it which stipulates when the plate is no longer valid, as the car is meant to be exported out of the country. Failure to export the car results in sizable additional taxes levied

against the owner of the car. Our car had a very unusual plate number – “S5S”. Short and sweet. The plate still hangs on my garage wall. That is a very unusual plate configuration, even for Europe. When travelling and when we stopped for a short break or gas, we often were greeted on our departure by groups of curious people, wondering who we were.

When selecting a factory delivery, the “delivery package” included at that time several added features. Porsche arranged for and payed for a 5 star hotel in Stuttgart, plus the taxi fare the next morning from the hotel to the factory. When we arrived at the factory the next morning, they escorted us to a small showroom where our car awaited our arrival. The showroom had 5 or 6 cars in it that would be delivered that week. A Porsche agent (in our case, Herr Tilmann Hancke, Customer Service Agent) took about 45 minutes to show us our car and ensure we understood its instrumentation and operation. During our orientation with Tilmann, I asked him about any “break-in” period. I explained that in a day or 2 we would be at the Nurburgring track. Tilmann said no – just don’t miss a shift and over-rev the engine.

”with a new GT3 with an “S5S” plate, we must surely be diplomats!”

The car is track-ready and ready to go. The Porsche “package” included for 2 weeks of insurance and licensing. As we were touring for 6 weeks, we were required to pay for the extra 4 weeks, plus sign the insurance and purchase documents. Then we joined a group of 10 other people (some like us who were picking up a car, some on an executive factory tour) to have a 90 minute tour of the full assembly plant. Two things surprised me on the tour. The 1st is that they produce several different models (911’s, Boxster’s, etc.) in differing colors and options concurrently on the assembly line. It surprised me that they were not producing all black 911’s for a shift. Every car was a custom optioned model with differing color and technical options. The second thing that I learned, is that they have very little on-site storage capacity for parts. When the brick factory was first constructed in 1952, it was in a rural area of Zuffenhausen (a suburb of Stuttgart), with space surrounding it for storage and staging the components for assembly. Today, the area surrounding the factory is fully developed, with little area remaining for current storage or staging. Therefore, the assembly factory operates on a “deliveryas-needed” basis. Each night, trucks deliver all of the components required to assemble the next day’s cars. Cars may be different models, with different interior and exterior colors, with different engines and finishing options. They pre-assemble components (engines, dash boards, seats, etc.) and their delivery to the assembly line is critical - and a logistical symphony of moving parts and people. Following the factory tour, Porsche then provided a chef prepared lunch in their executive dining room. Porsche also provides passes to their on-site Porsche Museum. I

won’t go into details regarding the museum experience, but go online to see the cars and the architectural master-piece that houses the exhibit.

After lunch, we put our luggage in the “frunk”, and headed off on our first drive on the Autobahn and to stay in our first German village. Our day had been full and exhausting. We needed some rest and a good night’s sleep. The next day we were off to do some laps at “The Ring”. The Nurburgring is arguably the most challenging race car circuit on the planet. It certainly was a challenge for me and a “lifelong” memory.

We had just begun our 6 week adventure. The story just gets better and better.

Bill Johnson

Cars and coffee

Mid island

Great cars and coffee at Serious Coffee in Parksville. Every Sunday between 10 and 12am.

Due to the fire a few months ago, the left wing of the heritage mall will be demolished and starting May the 7th the mid island Cars and Coffee will be at the Black Goose Inn, 1051 Resort Drive, located at the Beach Acres Resort.

April 2

April 9

April 16

April 23

- Serious Coffee Parksville

- Serious Coffee Parksville

- Serious Coffee Parksville

- Serious Coffee Parksville

April 30 - Serious Coffee Parksville

May 7 - Black Goose Inn Parksville until further notice.

Detlef Ehrhardt

Cars and Coffee for the North Island was March 11 in Campbell River at Island Grind. Approximately ten members participated. Lively discussions and absolutely no pictures taken as we were socializing and forgot!

Members are just starting to get their cars back on the road in the North Island. Many members are looking forward to the Wochenende at Crown Isle the last weekend of May, 25-28th. Some were already registered and others planning to.

Sadly, John Clark’s Rennsport Presentation was cancelled due to a change in requirements from the venue. This will be planned again in the future!

A reminder that April 8th Cars and Coffee is in Campbell River at the Island Grind, Discovery Harbour Shopping Centre and is the FREE COFFEE date. Come one, come all.

Sunday, April 23rd will be the first time for 2 Cars and Coffee/ month in the North Island, and it will be held in Courtenay at Lerwick Plaza in the original Courtenay Cars and coffee location(prior to moving to the area by PetSmart). It will be over by Starbucks. If you do not like Starbucks coffee, you can find Tim Hortons or MacDonald’s all within the block.

Wochenende (German for “Weekend”) at Crown Isle, hosted by Vancouver Island Region PCA, is a multiregion event taking place Thursday, May 25 to Sunday, May 28, 2023. It promises to be a fun-filled few days of driving, social and charity activities.

Home base is Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community in Courtenay, B.C. Activities will take place across the Comox Valley and stretch north to Campbell River and west to Gold River. Our playground encompasses mountains, farmland, and beaches. Be prepared for winding roads, rugged scenery and many opportunities for you and your P-cars to have some fun.

Crown isle 2023

Main activities for the event include a Welcome Reception featuring local food and drinks; Gimmick Rally; Oceanside Hike; Military Museum Tour; Trivia Quiz; Friday casual dinner at Crown Isle; organized drives (three options!); a Gala Dinner & Live Auction on Saturday night; and a car show. We have unfortunately cancelled the Friday Autocross, as we didn’t receive enough entries and wanted to give our hosts, Saratoga Speedway, enough time to schedule another event.

And of course – golf! Crown Isle is a resort course in a beautiful setting. It has six tee boxes to suit every level of golfer from beginners to low handicappers. Or pop in next door to The Park at Crown Isle, a fun Par 3 course. Both courses have rental clubs. Crown Isle’s are late model, top brand clubs, while The Park has more modest clubs.

Choose the events you want to participate in or relax and explore the area on your own.

Fundraising will support Cops for Cancer “Tour de Rock” and local Food Banks.

Crown isle 2023

Schedule of Organized Events (subject to change)

Thursday, May 25

• Morning Golf – tee off before 12:00 noon (extra charge for green fees, club rentals and cart as required)

• 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm Registration – Resort Ballroom

• 5:00 pm Reception bar open – Resort Ballroom

• 7:00 pm Welcome Social & Appetizers – Resort Ballroom

Friday, May 26

• 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Gimmick Rally

• 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Salmon Point Hike

• 1:30 – 4:00 pm – Comox Military Museum Tour (tour starts and ends at Museum, a 5-minute drive from Crown Isle)

• 6:00 pm – Banquet bar open

• 7:00 pm – Banquet dinner – Resort Ballroom

Saturday, May 27

• 9:00 am – 3:15 pm Long drive: Strathcona Park/Gold River (starts and ends at Crown Isle)

• 10:30 am – 4:00 pm Medium drive: Highways and Byways (starts at Crown Isle, ends at a local distillery)

• 9:15 am – 3:00 pm Short drive: Guided Foodie Tour ($100/person; maximum 8 cars) (starts at Crown Isle, ends at a local winery)

• 4:00 – 6:00 pm Trivia Quiz – Crown Isle

• 6:00 pm Banquet bar open – Resort Ballroom

• 7:00 pm Banquet dinner – Resort Ballroom

• 8:00 pm Cops for Cancer Live Auction – Resort Ballroom

Sunday, May 28

• 9:00 am – 11 am – Concours Light & Coffee

• Afternoon Golf (extra charge for green fees, club rentals and cart as required)

• Participants depart at their leisure

Crown isle 2023

Register on MSR

Registration fee is $399 per person

- Includes 3 evening meals, a welcome gift, and all activities except the Foodie Tour

- Does not include accommodation

Accommodations can be booked through the Crown Isle Front Desk, call 1-250-703-5000 or email frontdesk@crownisle.ca and state that you are a part of the VIRPCA group. Room rates start at $199 per night plus taxes.

Questions? Please contact us at crownisle@virpca.org

Trevor and Sonia Ross

on behalf of the Wochenende Volunteer Planning Committee

British Columbia Interior President: Oskar Ciejek http://bci.pca.org

PCA Zone 6 Representative: John Sommerwerck Zone6Rep @nationalpca.org http://zone6.pca.org

Vancouver Island President: Garth Webber Atkins president@virpca.org

https://www.virpca.org:452

Canada West President: Matt Stogryn president@pca-cwr.org

https://www.pca-cwr.org

Cascade President: Greg Dino president@cascade-pca.org http://cascade-pca.org

Silver Sage President: Vicki Pentecost president@silversageporsche.com https://silversageporsche.com

Pacific Northwest President: Kevin Nouwens president@pnwr.org https://pnwr.org

High Desert President: Joe Mansfield president@highdesertpca.org https://highdesertpca.org

Inland Northwest President: Trevor Bacon president@inwr.pca.org https://inwr.pca.org

Olympic Peninsula President: Jill Diefenderfer president@opr-pca.org ghttps://opr-pca.or

Oregon President: Peg Ryan president@oregonpca.org https://www.oregonpca.org

John Sommerwerck

Don’t Just Atend Porsche Parade...

...Be a Part of It!

The objective of a PCA Rally is to follow a course from point to point, usually on public roads, to the precise detail specifed in the rulesit can be competitive or for fun. Competitive Time Speed Distance (TSD) Rallies dictate a certain time schedule for the checkpoints along the way. Points are deducted by arriving at the checkpoint either early or late. Gimmick Rallies, also competitive rallies, may include a Gimmick (Poker Rally, regional interest). Part of the challenge with a Gimmick Rally is to discover the intended route, which may require other skills such as solving a puzzle. PCA Parade TSD Rallies use the Richta app for scoring and no expensive rally equipment is necessary ... all you need is a mobile phone. New to Rallying? Parade is a great time to give it a try!

June 18-24, 2023

La Quinta Resort & Club

Palm Springs, California

www.porscheparade.org

PCA sim racing

On March 21, several VIR members and one member from BC Interior attended a Zoom webinar to learn about PCA Sim Racing from Chuck Witt, who is the Sim Racing Coordinator for PCA Zone 7 and also on the PCA Sim Racing National Steering Committee as a Driving Advisor and Zone Group Manager.

Chuck went over what PCA Sim Racing is all about and how to join. Everyone who joins starts out in the Entry Class, and after completing at least 5 racing sessions in that class, they can request a checkride, to be placed in one of the four national classes: PCA Challenge Class, PCA Sport Class, PCA Club Class, or PCA Pro Class. There is also a Team racing league. The philosophy of PCA Sim Racing is camaraderie, driver ed and competition

The platform that PCA uses is iRacing. It is free to join, but you have to buy a car, as the Porsches cost extra. It doesn’t cost very much, however, and you own it for the rest of the time you race. There are 7 Porsches available, and 8 tracks you can race on. You can just practice on your own for a while until you feel ready to race against others.

PCA uses Discord to communicate between cars. Equipment recommendations can be found on the Racing Equipment page on the PCA Sim Racing website, but keep in mind that a lower spec computer may still do the job. A big takeaway from the talk was that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on equipment. High-end set-ups don’t necessarily make you a faster or better driver, but they do offer a more immersive experiencem which some people like, and some people don’t. Used equipment can be found for sale on the Discord channel. A minimal set-up is a computer, Logitech G29 wheel and pedals, a monitor, and some manner of stand to mount the wheel and pedals to. Chuck had pictures of some pretty basic (and very creative!) DIY setups, plus some moderate and high-end rigs.

A bonus of sim racing is that it can improve your real-world driving, and some real world racers use sim-racing to practice. Overall, PCA Sim Racing sounded like a lot of fun, and a great way to connect with members from around the country. A hearty thanks to Chip for an interesting and informative presentation.

A Step-by-Step guide to starting out can be found on the PCA Sim Racing web page.

Chip Witt

There's No Foodie Like a Porsche-driving Foodie!

Fast. Food. is a monthly casual get-together for VIRPCA members (plusones also welcome) to appreciate the gastronomic delights of our island home.

We intend to explore a new venue on the first Thursday of every month, initially in the South Island area.

Fourteen hardy foodies braved the elements (and a less-than-intuitive parking lot!) at our March 2nd event to sample the pub menu and the extensive tap list at 328 Taphouse in Colwood. (Mostly) car-centric conversations flowed up and down the long table, as we enjoyed the hospitality provided by the 328 Taphouse staff.

We look forward to having you join your fellow Porsche-phile foodies at our next event on Thursday April 6 at 6:30pm, at Fireside Grill, 4509 W. Saanich Rd. Note the 6:30 start, slightly later than our previous events.

Attendance will initially be capped at 16 for this event, so register early on MotorsportReg: http://msreg.com/Fast-Food-202304-Fireside-Grill.

As this is a non-driving, come-as-you-are, separate-cheques event, liability waivers will not be required.

southisland@virpca.org

South Island Director

Around the bend

North island cars and cofee

Here is the complete schedule for the 2023 season of North Island Cars and Coffee

Starting April 2023 Cars and Coffee in the North Island will be the 2nd Saturday in Campbell River and the 4th Sunday in Courtenay

April 8-Campbell River. //. April 23- Courtenay

May 13- Campbell River //. May 28- Courtenay (Crown Isle event too)

June 10- Campbell River. // June 25 Courtenay

July 8- Campbell River // July 23 Courtenay

August 12- Campbell River. // August 27- Courtenay

September 9- Campbell River // September 24- Courtenay

October 14- Campbell River // October 29- Courtenay

November 11- Campbell River // November 26- Courtenay

December 9- Campbell River // December 24- Courtenay

Looking forward to seeing you all at Cars and Coffee 2023.

Regards

On March 25, Ron Dempsey and I attended the Zone 6 Presidents’ Meeting along with 8 of the other 9 Zone 6 Presidents, several Vice Presidents, and of course Zone 6 representative John Sommerwerck. Our very own Gary Glover was there as well, as an invited guest in his role of Zone 11 representative. The meeting was hosted by Canada West, and held in Richmond. John went over a Presidents 101 presentation, covering some important basics for the Regions, including the knowledge resources available to us at the National level. We heard from PCA President Aaron Ambrosino via Zoom as well as from Autocross Chair Paul Kudra, also via Zoom. There was a lot of very useful information. I have heard the Presidents 101 three times now, and still found new things to note.

We then discussed the appetite for another Zone 6 Grand Tour, and it was decided that it was worth trying something different to bring Zone members together. The group leaned toward a one-location event that people could come to, and range out from there. It seems likely that there will be a 2024 Zone event.

I presented a proposal for a Zone 6 TSD rally championship, an idea developed by our Rallymaster Klaus Kreye and Technical/Classics Chair Paul Rossmo, and it was well received. Watch for more about this in future issues. It was not, however, all work and no play. After the meeting, the attendees had the option to go out for dinner together to “Top of Vancouver”, a revolving restaurant in downtown Vancouver. There, we were able to socialize with some of the partners of those who had attended the meeting, as well as other Canada West members. The venue, the food and the company were outstanding! It was a great way to close out an informative and productive day, one that made me very happy to be a part of the PCA community.

Best regards,

Cars and coffee

South island

Countdown to Uptown

As the weather turns to spring, so too will we rejuvenate our weekly South Island Cars & Coffee tradition at a new venue starting on April 9: Uptown Mall adjacent to Whole Foods.

We will continue at Eagle Creek until April 2, closing out the era on that day with Spring Start-up coffee compliments of the Club.

The new Uptown location will provide:

▪ good parking at the north end of the top level, with minimal throughtraffic

▪ copious seating both indoors and outdoors, in sunshine and shade

▪ better interior acoustics for more enjoyable conversations

▪ fresh Whole Foods baked goods on Sunday… as of now, Whole Foods even offers a coffee-and-muffin deal for $3.99

▪ while tough to navigate, the underground parking can act as a haven from "severe" weather should the need arise

▪ for alternatives to the "humble" coffee on tap at Whole Foods, your java jolt can also be acquired drive-through at nearby Tim Hortons, Starbucks, and McDonald's… there is also a walk-in Starbucks in Uptown itself

Here's a summary of upcoming dates and venues… please mark your calendars accordingly!

▪ 02 Apr | Eagle Creek | Spring Start-up - coffee compliments of VIRPCAfinal event at Eagle Creek

▪ 09 Apr | Uptown | Inaugural event @ Whole Foods Uptown

▪ 16 Apr | Uptown

▪ 23 Apr | Uptown ▪ 30 Apr | Uptown

If you have any questions, please reach out to Stuart Macleod via email at southisland@virpca.org.

Member’s profile

Derek Nickel

I have been a VIR PCA club member since 2007, originally joining jointly with my father with our 1987 944, which subsequently turned into a 1989 944 S2, then a 1993 968, funny how that goes. I have been passionate about cars, specifically Porsches since I was a child. I remember lining my bedroom with print outs/posters of Porsches, and only wanting to race a 1980’s 930 in the game Test Drive on our Amiga Commodore 2000. I wasn’t a great driver at the time and the cops usually nabbed me...

Chippy was originally from Arizona and was picked up by a Porsche master mechanic looking to realize his dream of finally owning his own. Chippy moved to Calgary for a number of years in the 2000s, braving the elements and introducing some of them into the cockpit, as all Targas do. When the Porsche master mechanic retired he moved out to Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island with his wife and began to be part of the local VIR PCA region. This is when I first was introduced to Chippy and began creating a lifelong friendship with the mechanic.

Around 2011-2012 my friend began to restore an early Boxster S 986 to replace Chippy, he got it for a song and a dance. The car was worse for wear, an angry spouse had their way with it involving the use of blunt objects, knives and who knows what else; it looked like Freddy Krueger and Jason had their way with it inside and out. Once this was restored my friend offered me the chance to buy Chippy, by this time the car was basically family and I was flattered he talked to me first about selling it. At first I was unsure how I was going to afford purchasing Chippy, but luckily I had just met a very nice woman, now my wife, and she had some words of wisdom, “You are young now, buy it and enjoy it, you can always make more money”. I scrimped and saved, sold my daily driver, and voila, in spring of 2013 there was Chippy sitting in the driveway.

Since 2013 I have been the proud owner and steward of Chippy, a 1985 911 Porsche Carrera Targa.

Derek nickel

Since coming home, Chippy has been part of the family. I have been on many road trips, involved in Black Rock, and other VIR PCA events over the years. Chippy may even have snuck into some of our wedding photos. Our two young daughters love going for rides, the looks are priceless from the kids and from other drivers when they see carseats/kids in Chippy. Over the past 3-4 years my club attendance has been low, wear and tear from many kilometers, being driven hard and enjoying Chippy’s full potential warranted some well deserved maintenance. As of last fall an extensive refresh of the chassis and mechanical components was completed, it took a few years but I got there.

With everything sorted on Chippy and a new driving season approaching, I am more than ecstatic to be back participating in club events. I hope to see some old faces again as well as meet new members. Drive spirited yet safely everyone!

Modifications to Chippy:

-Fabspeed Maxflo performance exhaust system dual outlet with catalytic converter bypass.

-SWChip for 911 pre muffler/cat bypass exhaust configuration.

-Fiberglass ducktail spoiler.

-Porsche front chin spoiler.

-Porsche short shift kit.

-Bosch H4 Euro headlights.

-Larger Fuchs 7s and 8s

-930 strut towers, heavy duty Bilstein struts, and tie rod ends.

-Elephant racing poly bronze bushings.

-Lowered to European ride height.

-Matte black 3M wrap in select locations.

-Momo steering wheel, 320 Monte Carlo or 350mm Mod 07.