As we enter 2025, the January issue of the Porscher marks the beginning of a new year and new adventures. We are very fortunate to live on Vancouver Island, our region sports a wide variety of roads, and unique destinations. One of our key goals is to connect all our members and continue building our Porsche community throughout the island. This is a special edition of our magazine, drawing attention to the wide-ranging talents and interests of the women in our region who contribute greatly to our success.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the PORSCHER Magazine. We are always thrilled to welcome members from other regions who come to join us at our events.
At our 2024 AGM we acknowledged the contributions of our previous board members who have now stepped down. It has been my great pleasure to work alongside AJ Papp (Treasurer), Stuart Macleod (South Island Director), Mark Dalton (Mid Island Director), and Martin Jager (North Island Director).
I would like to warmly welcome those members who have volunteered to take on these roles. Peter Everett as Treasurer, Ray Gumbel as South Island Director, Didier Moinier as Mid Island Director, and Marc Klijnsmit as North Island Director. I would also like to thank Ron Dempsey our Vice President, Kevin Root our Secretary, Garth Webber Atkins our Past President, Larissa Lawrence our Membership Chair, Klaus Kreye our Rally Chair, Steve Fairbrother our Media Chair, Dave Nickel our Webmaster, James Renfrew our Insurance Chair, and Karen Bresler, our Magazine Chair for committing to a further term. Your continued dedication is greatly appreciated.
Our board for 2025 is dedicated to creating exciting and enjoyable events to suit the interests of all our members. This year the board is fortunate to have a new resource available to us, with the creation of the Event Coordinator position. Centralizing event planning will help us avoid scheduling conflicts and make it easier for members to stay up to date with upcoming events. We are fortunate that Tim Evans, a past President, has agreed to take on this new position. With his extensive experience organizing some of the club’s most popular drives, Tim is more than capable of leading the way. With Tim at the helm, we can look forward to a wellorganized and exciting calendar of events.
As we embark on a new year, I encourage you to prioritize getting to know your fellow club members and join in on the fun. If you have an idea for an event, please reach out to your area representative, and share your thoughts. When you attend an event, please take a moment to introduce yourself.
I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you.
See you in 2025.
Paul
When I embarked on the journey to highlight the women of VIRPCA I knew I would find a ton of passion, energy and dedication, but I could not foresee how this story idea would develop and grow a life of its one. The feature article in this issue, affectionately coined the PorscHER by Trace Hart and adopted by all, has been the foundation for the women getting to know each other better, and be a positive support for each other and the membership as a whole. I was assisted with the photography by Dean Gaschermann who has given up countless hours of his free time and put many a speedy kilometre on his Porsche to meet the women, wherever they were, to take photos. We are so grateful for his dedication to this project. Thanks to The Raptors Centre in Duncan who opened their gates and brought out their raptors for our photo shoot of Imogen Burr. In this, our PorscHER Edition, I present the brave women who agreed to be interviewed, and the voices of a few others behind the scenes. I feel that we are assembling only now at the start line of a journey that continues to unfold. Our Member Spotlight is on Garth Webber Atkins, our Past President and one of the women who agreed to be interviewed for PorscHER. A force behind VIRPCA for many years, Garth continues to be a source of wisdom for all in the club.
Winter is in full swing and we have hope now for sunnier driving days ahead. The member who surely drives the most, Gary Glover, has provided us with an article on his trip to Oktoberfest 2024. See page 44. Tech Talk is back with Part Two on wheels by Paul Rossmo, page 47.
PORSCHER is published quarterly, in the months of April, July, October and January
The Membership Report, In the Zone– Zone 6 and Regional Reports highlight the activity behind the scenes. Chronicles contains photos and stories from the past.
Road Trips, Cars & Coffee has all the details on who has been doing what. Around The Bend highlights upcoming events.
Gallery, features member Trace Hart’s artwork as well as a very young artist, Elise Violet Fletcher; you will find 911 Ways to Use Your Porsche; and many a pampered pet can be found in a Porsche, as evidenced in Porsche Pets.
I also want to thank our advertisers who support the magazine including our members who advertise with us. Please let them know you enjoyed their advertisements and appreciate their support.
I welcome your Letters to the Editor, submissions and photographs to editor@virpca.org. The Porscher is the voice of the Vancouver Island Region of the PCA and in this issue, the voice of the women in particular. Please join in the celebration of all the people and cars that makes us VIRPCA.
In Memoriam
Bev White 1947– 2024
My beloved wife and partner of 37 years, Bev, passed away on August 23, 2024. She chose to leave this world with peace and dignity through medical assistance in dying.
Just two years ago, Bev was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's diseases. The initial prognosis suggested she would have more time, but in February, her condition deteriorated rapidly. Bev's memories of herself, her surroundings, and her loved ones began to fade quickly. There were still moments when Bev was truly herself, but those moments became fewer and fewer.
Bev knew she had less than six months to say YES to that final day and moment. In May, more than a hundred friends joined Bev for her last "Walk for Alzheimer's." In June, we took her final Porsche ride, joining the PCA-CWR for the Big Horn Rocky Mountain Tour, where we met with family and friends along the way to bid farewell. Bev was always good at keeping in touch with friends, including one who turned 101 and still played golf.
July was a time for friends to visit, while August was a retreat for us to cherish our relationship. Bev needed to say goodbye to everyone by phone, just one last time, before she could bring herself to say YES. On Friday, August 23, in a rare moment of clarity, Bev decided she wanted MAID.
Bev's roots were in Upper Hungary, now Slovakia. She had a passion for hard work. Straight out of high school, she became a secretary at a venture capital company. She even spent a month as a camp cook in the Yukon. Bev eventually left the venture capital company to attend BCIT's Film Training program. After six months, she landed a job in the film industry and worked her way up from various production roles to production manager credits. Along the way, she met many great actors.
Bev and I married in 1994. In 2004, Bev longed for a sports car again. Having once owned an MGB, she dreamed of owning another car. In 2005, I flew to Tampa and imported a 2001 Biarritz White Boxster S, which remains with me today in her favorite colors white and blue (Metripol Blue Top and leather).
In 2007, we took a picture of her goddaughter's children polishing the headlights while sitting in the car's frunk. We entered the photo contest with the title "Jake-in-the Box" and made it to the final round. We were invited to join VIR, though it was difficult to collect the prize due to our location in Vancouver at the time.
/see over
Bev was passionate about HER car and let me drive it occasionally. In 2015, Bev and I embarked on the PCA Pacific Northwest Grand Tour, a 4,700-mile marathon the longest in PCA history lasting over 14 days. It tested both the Porsche and our relationship. In 2017, we took another long trip to Indian Wells via the 101, avoiding fires, and returning through Death Valley. We created wonderful memories driving along Big Sur.
I've chosen to keep Bev's Porsche as a memory of her and the 100,000 km of adventures and cherished memories we shared.
Bev has a Facebook page under the pseudonym Olive Pitts-Douglas. For the past three years, Bev and I have actively fundraised for the Alzheimer Society of BC, which has created a special page in her memory. I hope you can visit it:
https://alzbc.org/Remembering-Bev
With love and remembrance, Paul Atterton, PCA-VIR and PCA-CWR member
In Memoriam
John Clark Jan 21, 1947 November 8, 2024
On Thursday, November 7, 2024 John left this world on his own at 11:35.6 with a sound mind and a happy heart but a body no longer able to support life due to an aggressive blood cancer.
In the words of Bob Dylan “Wellmyship’sbeensplittosplintersand it’ssinkingfast
Thank you for all of your words of tribute to John and offers of support for us both.
He was very ready to leave and on his own time.
John relied on blood transfusions for almost two years.
If you are not already a blood donor, please consider it.
“Until next time…” John said, as he left Cars and Coffee at Cafe 356 in October this year. And we knew there may not be another time here on earth.
I had the privilege and life changing experience of interviewing this incredible man for the magazine (see July 2024). My intention had been to celebrate John in the “living years”. Too often we don’t get to really know a person’s life story or say how we feel until it is too late. In the short time I knew John, I loved him, as I know all who knew him did. For some, the friendship spanned a life time and the grief and sadness is deep. I join in the sad and heartfelt condolences for Zoe as she navigates the loss of her beloved husband after supporting him through his courageous battle with cancer. John showed us how to stay in joy, notwithstanding life’s sorrow. In the opening paragraph of the July article, I wrote: ”Love is a word that pervades John’s presence. He uses the word “love” frequently and it is used just as frequently when others talk of him.”
It is no different in his death. He is even more loved. I think John would have loved that.
Karen Bresler, Editor
Zoë
Photo: Dean Gaschermann, taken at Cars & Coffee at Café 356 in October
Zoë Levitsky, John’s wife, wrote and said she had made a list of repeated words used to describe John that she had received in tributes. Here are some of them:
Editor’s Note: See page 79 for John’s quiz. Have fun completing it in John’s memory.
left and below: Franz-Albert Burgand
Malcolm Fletcher writes: “John meant a lot to many of us. My friends all really loved John and he always made everyone feel really special. I've known John for almost 20 years and he continued to amaze me every day. ... I have many great pictures and stories. I actually took a selfie of the two of us on every road trip. I sure miss him as I know everyone else will too. “
Editor’s Note: There are lots of other memories of John shared on the Facebook page.
Photos
Left: photos submitted by Malcolm Fletcher
PorscHERS
By Karen Bresler
The spotlights are on and they are shining on a group of members who are many things to many people, including being members of VIRPCA. They are articulate, intelligent and beautiful and more; most of all they are passionate about their Porsches and driving them– some faster than you may think. We don’t want to go so far as to compare that love or speed to the love of Porsche or speed between members. It’s not a competition. It is also not a “ men v women” diatribe, with a litany of complaints against the historically predominantly male culture of car ownership and motorsport. It is though, a revelation of the passionate love affair that women have with Porsche which has stayed largely under wraps. It wants to be recognized without fanfare. Simply because it exists. And, there are other women members as well who prefer to “work behind the scenes”. Their voices are here as well This article is a distillation of a series of interviews, Porsche Club Tea events and casual discussions at VIRPCA events. It is written with the sole aim to highlight the female presence in VIRPCA as it pertains to Porsche. Strap on those custom seatbelts. Rev that Porsche engine. There is nothing about the VIRPCA women that lacks colour, personality, dedication, passion or speed. These are women who push the limits- for their own unique reasons...
Photo credit as indicated
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Purpose and Aim
The purpose of highlighting the women of VIRPCA is to normalize a women owning a Porsche. We are still not there yet. The aim of this article is to be totally inclusive of all Porsche owners.
Some History
Dr. Diane Cruickshank pointed out in our discussions that fifty years ago, recent history for most, women did not have the right to obtain credit in their own name. This meant that if they purchased a vehicle, they would require a male as co-signer. TheEqual CreditOpportunityActwas passed in 1974, making it illegal for financial institutions to discriminate against applicants for credit on the basis of gender, race, religion or national origin.
Due to this history, assumptions are made about ownership of a vehicle. It is based on a collective unconsciousness. This article highlights the drastic changes since 1974 and points to what else is needed.
Definition of a club
A club is a group of people who join to share common interests and passions. In the case of PCA and its regions, it helps Porsche enthusiasts connect with like-minded people. It can also be a way for members to engage in charitable fundraising. The purpose of a club describes its reason for being.
Diversity and Inclusion is a core value of PCA. It’s an often stated quote “Its not just the cars, it’s the people. As a membership, we take this to heart. And, how do we live it? Who are the “People”, The stories which follow will shed some light on the answers to
these questions. You will have your answers and there will be more.
Looking to the Future
Before we meet some of the women of VIRPCA, we also look to the future. There is a younger generation following in the current member’s footsteps. They sit in their grandparents’ Porsche, or Mommy or Daddy’s Porsche and they watch us. What do they see or hear? They are absorbing information from their environment, social and otherwise. How do we want to be as a club for the generation following us? How do we hold the space for them as they lead in our footsteps?
Meet The Very Real Women of VIRPCA
Seven women members of VIRPCA courageously stepped forward and agreed to be interviewed for this article.
They are the very real women of VIRPCA
Many other women came to the Porsche Club Tea events that were arranged to continue the conversation and capture as many voices as possible. They also joined digital chat groups. They are not featured here by intent. They are however in this article, sometimes in between the lines, or in the expressed opinions with which they agreed and nodded their heads in understanding. They exist just the same. These hidden voices have added depth.
We did not reach everyone. This will take time. The ongoing invitation to everyone is to join in the conversation. For the sole purpose of making VIRPCA and the world a better place in which to live.
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Dr. Diane Cruickshank
Dr. Diane Cruickshank leans into ajoiedevivre which is contagious in her presence. She has learned to distill the wisdom of the voice inside that encourages one to follow one’s passion.
In her early twenties, Diane spied a 911 Carrera. “I made a promise to myself that when I retire, I was going to buy myself a 911 Carrera. Two years ago I retired and I did just that.” She makes it sound easy but like most hero or heroine’s stories, it came with a journey which involved a few challenges she had to overcome, and which were sure to grow this twenty- something young lady who had her eye on the prize.
A daughter of a truck driver father and a mom who was a teacher, Diane grew up in Alberta. She worked for a bank for 13 years and knew it was not her passion. She quit her full time job and went to university for six years to become a veterinarian, graduating at age 34. She moved out to BC with her former husband and eventually bought and sold a veterinary practice. “My goal was never to “retire at age 53”. I got breast cancer at 52 which completely changed my priorities. I had owned the practice for only five years. Because of my treatment, I decided to sell the practice in April of 2022. I retired in July the same year: I bought my Porsche, a 2021 911 Carrera 4S from Edmonton. Her name is Penny, short for Penelope the Porsche.”
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
“The reasons we get the car and the relationship we have with it are different. I have always loved driving cars and motorcycles. I have had a motorcycle licence for 32 years. I presently have a Harley Davidson.”
“Initially my love for my Porsche was the look, the quality of the German engineering, the sound, the feel of it. The first Summer I barely drove her and did not want to take her into parking lots (initially I was trying to hide her). I did some track days and gained more confidence. Then I just started driving her so much. I absolutely love driving her! She is now my Summer daily driver”
Diane has taken two road trips with her daughters, aged 19 and 17. One trip this past Summer was to San Francisco and back.
“My relationship with her (Penny the Porsche) is now more like a comfortable pair of good quality boots. My favourite thing is to have the top down, on a sunny day, my sunglasses on, hair flying all over, music playing and a smile on my face.”
“She has brought joy into my life. I have joy in the simple things after breast cancer.”
“There is a sense of freedom. In a normal car you are in a bit of a bubble. ( With Penny) the walls are taken away. My daughter said its like you are not driving through the landscape but rather are part of the landscape.”
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
“We need to normalize women owning and driving these kind of vehicles”
Diane says there are still some old attitudes out there when it comes to owning a Porsche. Her daughter was washing Penny one day when a male passerby asked her: “Is that your Dad’s car? I am surprised he lets you wash it!” Her daughter replied: ”Shelets me wash it”. Diane says “ we need to normalize women owning and driving these kind of vehicles. Our generation comes from a time when woman have not had a voice. Even though successful, we have endured sexism for many decades and we have gotten used to not saying anything because it was the society and generation we came from. We are at ages now where we don’t always know how to have a voice, or it is just easier to be quiet and in the background. It is important to bring awareness of what women have had to struggle through for the purpose of creating something new.”
In her conversations with male car enthusiasts, Diane has come to realize that most men simply have no idea that even a strong accomplished women can be intimidated to enter a car event if they are the only female there. She says when she has done track days and been the only woman there, the men welcomed her and it was very encouraging. She has learned a lot and is looking forward to positive changes to come. What’s next?
A relatively new member, Diane is stepping into the limelight participating in club events and getting to
know the members. At our AGM in October, she was the smiling face, with Imogen Burr, who greeted you at the registration table. This is a woman who will change the space in a room in the best possible way. And, she’s the wild free spirit out on the road with hair flying wildly, living life full out and one with the landscape.
Dr. Diane Cruickshank with Imogen Burr at the registration table at the 2024 AGM
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Passersby got to enjoy the energy- animals and humans alike.
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Linnea Uphoff
You will be hard pressed to find a more authentic human being than Linnea Uphoff. The story of Linnea and her Porsche is unique and delightful. Linnea and her Porsche have grown up together.
Linnea’s father bought the 944 new in 1986, five years before she was born, and it has been in the family ever since– a one family car. He considered selling it when she was young, but the prices had gone down so much he decided to keep it. “At one point they got so cheap Dad considered buying another one for parts,” Linnea says. After that the car was kept for her and she says laughing, “being an only child, I did not have to fight over it.” Knowing that she would be getting the 944 one day shaped her view of cars and driving. “I’d go to car shows with my dad and I imagined one day I would show it. I learned to drive manual because I knew I was getting that car.”
Linnea’s parents moved to Nanaimo in 2010 and she joined them in 2014 after completing her economics degree at McGill. She had considered moving back to a larger city of work but instead decided to change career paths to stay on the island. “With rents being so high,” she says “I developed plan B– accounting– as it was related and I could just do the extra courses and then I could work anywhere.” In 2018, after getting a job in accounting and entering the CPA program, her dad transferred ownership of the 944 to her.
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
The Porsche gets a “N” on it. Photo submitted
Photo submitted: The 944 in the wedding photo of Linnea’s parents, Roland and Hazel Uphoff
Middle Left: Hazel Uphoff before Linnea was born; Below left: Hazel with Linnea; Bottom Right: Roland Uphoff with the new 944
Two years ago, Linnea joined VIRPCA. Her mother encouraged her to join. Linnea says her father had been saying for years that they should sell it, but she didn’t want to let go of the one family car. The Porsche was always garaged and well taken care of, even though at one point they had to go to Edmonton to get the water pump replaced when they couldn’t find someone in Prince George to work on it. Linnea proudly says that while many 944’s are in bad shape now, ‘mine doesn’t leak and has no rust.”
Linnea says of her first event: “ I was nervous going because it was mostly men and I was not sure what kind of people were in the Club. I made my Dad go with me to a burger event in Parksville. Everyone seemed nice. People were nice about the car and seemed interested in it.”
Working from home, Linnea decided she needed to start making friends in Nanaimo. “I am actually quite shy and I had to force myself to go to Cars & Coffee. Detlef Ehrhardt was the mid-island Director at the time and Marc Klijnsmit was also good about chatting. It was lovely to get comments about my car.” She soon became a regular at events and has made some good friends in the Club. “I am an only child and my parents are older so I grew up socializing with older people.”
Linnea loves Cars & Coffee as it offers her flexibility in her social arrangements.
On her driving skills, Linnea entertains with a story about learning to drive. After taking driving lessons, her Driving Instructor said his major concern for her going into her driving test was that she would fail for going too slowly. She says: “I am not exactly a speed demon. I’d be driving very slowly to avoid changing gears!”
What came next. “Well,” she says “it’s Klaus’s fault that I got into rallying. It’s not intimidating to talk to him as he is friendly and approachable.”
“I attended the AGM that year because Detlef invited me to attend. I landed up at Klaus Kreye’s table with Tim Evans and Stuart Macleod. They were asking about the 944 and Klaus’s rally car is a 944.” Klaus got talking about rallying to Linnea and the rest is history.
Linnea has participated in a few rallies as driver but she has become most well known as an extremely well prepared and highly skilled, much sought after navigator. For a while she partnered with Trace Hart as well. Linnea and Klaus have now formed a winning team, competing in several rallies and placing well.
On being a woman…
“I like to surprise people. Being a woman, if you are worried about not being good enough, you don’t want to be the woman who is not good enough. If you are good, then the impact is ‘ wow she’s a woman and can do this’ so it’s a surprise. That’s why I am so prepared because I want to surprise. It makes you do better.” Linnea says the challenge in motorsport or math is this: “Are you going to be written off as a woman, or are you going to be seen as exceptional because you are a woman doing this.“
With Trace Hart after a podium finish. Photo: Detlef Ehrhardt
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Describing herself as “quite shy” this extraordinary member is on a trajectory to assisting Klaus with the growth of rallying as a motorsport. And once you get to know Linnea, you will discover she is an incredibly funny and warm person. In her own words, “Once I start to get to know people I am loud and obnoxious.”
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Imogen Burr
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
It is hard to distinguish between Lady Bird and the bird lady. Their energies mesh to form a perfect partnership of power, exhilaration and joy that swirls through the air when they are together. Imogen Burr is someone who loves birds as much as her Porsche Cayman nicknamed Lady Bird.
“I have always loved cars”, Imogen says. In 2006 she saw an ad for several kinds of Porsche, and she decided she had to have one. She knew it would be the Cayman and drew a heart around it.
Imogen took delivery of her Cayman seven years later in 2013. She admits to tears when she first saw it upon delivery.
“I felt very quickly I needed something to make it stand out as my car so that’s why I got the licence plate “LDY BRD”. Imogen loves birds and has taken a falconry course at The Raptors Centre. She has also lived with her two beloved parrots for 19 years.
“I was an anomaly. 12 years ago, there were not a lot of Caymans in Victoria and not many women with a Porsche either. I joined the Vancouver Island Porsche Club and the Dealership started inviting me to events where I really enjoyed autocross and track driving.”
“Through this car, my driving skills improved, and, becoming a Director for the Porsche Club, I developed many lasting friendships. The passion for this vehicle expanded my whole life.”
“I asked my mother recently why she disapproved of me getting the car at my age and she replied: “I’ve changed my mind. That car has been a great introduction to social and business networks and encouraged you to push your driving limits but do it safely.”
Imogen says the instructors at Black Rock were really good and Steve Cropper told me “Trust the car”.
“Once I learned what the car could do, my times improved. I had never driven something so powerful. The braking system reminds of a raptor, coming in fast and being able to stop on a dime”
“Thepassionforthisvehicleexpandedmy wholelife”
Photo: Imogen Burr
Photo: Above: Karen Bresler
Photos above and below submitted
Given Imogen’s love of birds in general and birds of prey in particular, The Raptors Centre in Duncan was the perfect venue for Imogen and Lady Bird to be photographed. Imogen explains: “In 1999 I travelled to South Africa alone and made my way up the East Coast. I met lots of people along the way traveling through, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia. When I eventually arrived in Tanzania I
fell in love with the wilderness and lucked out landing a job managing an exclusive safari business called “Olivers Camp”. The owner at the time, Paul Oliver was from England, and an avid birder. He helped me learn the importance of birds from an ecological stance and also a necessity when the “Big Five” animals weren’t showing themselves and the clients were getting bored. I developed a repertoire for Tanzanian birds that became very useful on safari.
“Bird watching stuck with me when I returned home to British Columbia. “Maybe it was the speed and accuracy of certain birds that led me to Porsche; a big change from sturdy Land Rovers! Best of both worlds with birds!”
There is a lot more to Imogen. A huge ball of energy, she can often be spotted giving Lady Bird a peck of appreciation. “I love the sound of the engine and after a spirited drive I came to a red light. I gave the steering wheel a quick kiss of appreciation and the truck driver next to me honked his horn and gave me the ‘perfect’ sign. We both had a good laugh as I swiftly drove away.”
Photos: Dean Gaschermann
Larissa Lawrence
It was a warm summer afternoon when a 17 –year-old Larissa Lawrence gripped the wheel of a Porsche for the first time. Her sister’s boyfriend sat beside her, offering gentle instructions, and Larissa focused on the soft hum of the engine, the way the clutch felt beneath her foot. With a slight incline ahead, she eased the clutch, and the car lurched forward. Then, smoothly, it happened. The engine and clutch aligned, and so did something inside her.
“That was it,” Larissa says, her eyes lighting up as if she were back in that moment. “I felt it– confidence, control, freedom. That car taught me more than driving. It showed me what it felt like to trust myself.”
This spark ignited a lifelong love affair with cars, motorcycles, and a life lived beyond the boundaries society often draws for women.
Larissa Lawrence, Membership Chair since 2023, is a woman of many talents. Unwilling to be bound by the expectations, Larissa set about creating her own journey. And it all started with Porsche, motorcycles and racing.
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
With encouragement from her oldest sister, by age 21, Larissa was crewing for an auto racing team—a world filled with the acrid scent of burnt rubber and the adrenaline of track days. It wasn’t just the speed that thrilled her it was the camaraderie, the unspoken language of engines, and the challenge of being one of the few women in the pit.
By her second season, Larissa met the man she would marry. Their fifth year anniversary was celebrated in Montreal, where they attended the F1 race weekend. A passion they shared..
Together, over their 27 year marriage, they built a life as dynamic as a racing circuit, raising two sons both were on motorcycles by age five. Her oldest son is attending MIT, for his PHD EAPS (Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science) and is currently in the Canary Islands at the Observatory in Tenerife. Her younger son, at UBC Sauder School of Business and part of the Global Logistics program, just returned from a term in Copenhagen, He will be at the University of Hong Kong next September.
Larissa’s fascination with how things worked started long before Porsche entered the picture. She remembers standing on a step stool nest to her father, peering into the guts of his 1968 Valiant. “I’d ask questions, and he’d explain in ways I could understand, “ she says. Those lessons stayed where her, as did the memory of Hot Wheels cars and her favourite Star Wars item, the landspeeder. “A lot of mileage was put on those hot wheels as they raced down the sloping driveway or across the kitchen floor.”
If she wasn’t climbing trees, or onto the roof of her parents’ home (for the ultimate hide-and-seek location), she could be found learning alongside her mother, a teacher at both school and home. “I never had to make a choice between learning from my mom or dad. One day my hands would be dirty making mudpies or real pancakes, the next might be engine dirt and bike chain oil.”
With her early preference for hot wheels over barbie dolls, running around barefoot rather than in pretty shoes, and hanging with the neighbourhood boys,
Larissa admits she “always had a bit of a tomboy streak.” It’s a side she still hasn't given up. But as she grew up, she embraced having a wide range of interests, and includes a healthy side of femininity “Always logical” she laughs she shares “when I was 16, I wanted to get my motorcycle licence, but the practical side of me kicked in– not enough space for a passenger and all your stuff, and besides, you’d get helmet hair”. It took many years before she fulfilled her goal: She got a motorcycle licence and a dual purpose bike, less than a year after her first son was born.
Larissa has three older sisters and she attributes her feisty spirit to this, stating that: “you learn to stand up and speak for yourself or you’d get runover”.
She has had to stand up for herself numerous times since. In High School, Larissa took the auto mechanical course instead of home economics. “I was the only girl in the class” she says. “I’m sure he didn’t
Crewing in an Acura Integra in the early days
Photo submitted by Larissa Lawrence
Photo submitted
mean to be, but my teacher was a bit sexist. I was annoyed being treated differently, not given the same kinds of assignments (as the boys).” Then, in a move that would become quintessential Larissa, she decided to flip the script. “I figured if I wasn’t going to get to do the work, what was the point? But instead of giving up or skipping class I started dressing up.” In white pants, full hair, make up, heels and a tank top, Larissa presented to her shop teacher what the stereotype really looked like. “Then I stopped and dressed to get dirty. The boys in class started helping me learn. That’s when the teacher come around. He started to see me as someone who wasn’t going to disappear,” she says. “I earned their respect not because I fit in, but because I showed up.”
Larissa passion for motorcycles continued. She
attended the FAST motorcycle racing school when her youngest son was 11 months old. Once again, she was doing things differently. Twelve days after the FAST school, Larissa was proudly baptising her youngest son. It’s just one example which shows the demands made of many women who play in traditionally male areas. Larissa shared,“Navigating both worlds trying to juggle multiple roles in society, this often doesn’t work. Instead I try to find a way to merge them.” .
s Porsche, a white Boxster, named Luna, was purchased in Vancouver when the family were still s older sister, Louise, has had a strong influence on Larissa in many ways. When Larissa was new to Victoria, Louise, also a Porsche owner, encouraged Larissa to join the Porsche strong, beautiful, intelligent person who has always broken moulds and led the way. She is very aesthetically put together , fashion forward, and then turns around and is just as knowledgeable about all kinds of cars. She worked in
Photo above and right submitted Taken in 2004 at FAST motorcycle racing school
Photos submitted
the automotive industry for 30 years. She set an example for me.” Describing herself and her siblings she laughingly states: “none of us are shrinking violets!”
Larissa joined VIRPCA in the Spring of 2023 and shortly thereafter became the Membership Chair and also became involved in rallying. Bringing her unique blend of warmth and tenacity to the role, she has inspired other women to take up rallying, helping grow the club’s rally team under the leadership of Rally Chair Klaus Kreye.
Larissa also turns her energy into beautifully turned wood art in her wood working studio in Metchosin.
wood turning is another example of how Larissa merges her worlds. It brings another facet of the multi-talented, energetic Larissa into focus. For further information on the wood turned art and to book a tour of her workshop, contact Larissa at:
WildwoodRevelations.WT@gmail.com
When asked about joining VIRPCA and taking on the Membership Chair role, she shared her perspective. “Throughout my career in consulting, technology, digital strategy and facilitating executives and their teams, I’ve typically been in the minority. When I was younger I didn’t think much about (being the only woman in the room). It’s just the way it was. As I progressed in my career, I was very fortunate to work with some amazing, strong, and inclusive women. And men too. I began to see just how much I had been missing. It’s the same wish I have for the women of this club, for any member of this club, who may take a more passive approach to their membership, You get what you give.”
The pieces Larissa produces from rescued wood are pieces of art that anyone would be proud to display. Accompanying many of the pieces is a poem or story – recounting the finding of the wood used in the objects or the evolution of the object as it is turned from tree to treasure.
“It’s about seeing the potential in something overlooked,” she says. “The same way you’d see beauty in a rusted car waiting to be restored.”
Incorporating writing into her
She continues, “This club is about so much more than the technical aspects of the cars. Or track days. Or mechanical knowledge. Yes, its all of these things. But from what I’ve experienced, it’s the social aspect, the connection with people, which really makes our community special. Sure, the cars are beautiful. And don’t get me wrong, I love listening to the engines turn over. But it’s so much more, and less, and different than just the four wheels we drive around in. It’s a diverse group with vibrant social activities, and rich with the potential for deeper connections.”
Whether she’s navigating a racetrack, crafting a bowl, building a community, or sharing thoughts for new member’s, Larissa approaches life with the same philosophy: “Put your foot on the gas and go for it.”
Larissa knew no one when she travelled to Victoria from Ontario a couple of years ago. Determined to start a new “tribe” in her new home, she joined VIRPCA. We in turn obtained a member who is a powerful, beautiful intelligent force of nature and who is not afraid to do things Her Way.
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Photo; Dean Gaschermann
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Trace Hart
Trace takes to the roads in her 2019 911 Carrera Porsche, after trading in a Mercedes AMG A35 Hot hatch and a Landrover Defender. She continues to carve out quite a following. Currently Madam Secretary of the Rally Association of Vancouver Island, and a member of six car clubs, Trace tackles anything with the same energy she brought to her equestrian days. She says equestrian skills transfer very well.” Listening to Trace speak, it sounds and looks a lot like you just go for it and if you fall off, you get straight back on the horse. With a caution on her car stating “Lawyer told me not to talk to you“ and the racing and rallying decals delineating her vibrant energy, Trace is definitely a member to watch as she pursues her passion for speed in a Porsche.
Trace says: “ A lot of women are very demur. We have been socialized to be quiet. I was partially shy. I probably started finding my voice in my first year of art college.” Trace has sold over $75,000 in art over the decades. She sold her first piece at age seven because she needed money for piano lessons. In later years she went on to complete four years of art college. Describing herself as an artist, teacher and cowgirl, Trace has also been a private tutor for art students.
At some point after moving out west from Ontario, Trace was “wishing upon stars for my own horse” She had two horses but after the one horse died from colic and the other due to old age, a heartbroken Trace moved on to cars. Encouraged by her husband Colin, she says “He lets me be me. We so often acquiesce to the man and then we lose ourselves”
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Trace’s artwork. Photo submitted.
Editors note: Also see Gallery page 70
Left: Dean Gaschermann
Photo:
Trace’s journey in rallying was featured in the October 2024 Porscher. Already a formidable contender, she has placed several times and follows her vision to achieve her goals. Although she makes it sound easy, its not without its challenges. “I am just showing up– that is half the battle. Things happen and I am getting good at it. The adrenalin rush– I now embrace it. It flushes the system and wakes you up”
Describing her Porsche named “Sexy Beast”, Trace says “She gets me across the finish line faster than the other guys. She makes purdy sounds and the more I drive her, the more I love her.” Trace says she has been competing against boys since she was little. She says a lot of girls start out in go-carting but then drop out. Susie Wolff has inspired her . Nicole Havrda , a friend of hers, has also inspired Trace with the sentiment that cars don’t know the difference between men and women drivers.
“The adrenalin rush– I now embrace it. It flushes the system and wakes you up”
“At car shows I have attended, I was the only woman. I stayed by the car and engaged with the public. I let the young boys sit in her. The smiles on their faces! Their mothers thanked me. I told the children to start saving for their own”
She says the car gets a lot of attention. “People have a visceral response to a Porsche. Asked how she prepares for a race, Trace says “sleep, coffee and gasoline” Also, her “stickers make her quicker”. Comparing her equestrian days again to racing or rallying in a Porsche, Trace says in both sports “you are hurtling through time and space with a ton of energy literally horse power. You have to be brave.”
Advice
“I was born with a driven spirit. I have had things I wanted to accomplish despite adversity. I journalled for years and battled poverty.
I have not let adversity crush my dreams. Life requires initiative. If you don’t try to make things happen, they wont happen”.
Photos: Top submitted: middle and below: Karen Bresler
Lynn Duplessis
A dynamic business woman who loves speed on water and land, Lynn Duplessis has true joy and passion for motorsport.
Lynn sailed competitively internationally in the 80’s and 90’s and continues her enjoyment of speed on water now in a powerboat. In her early retirement, she bought her first Porsche, a 2009 manual 911 Turbo GT silver. Chosen for its beautiful lines, it matched the sleek panther like energy of this vibrant woman.
Lynn’s passion for cars is one of many, but it is a passion backed up with discipline and connection. She shares a glimpse of some of her lanyards from many motorsport events in which she has participated.
Lynn says: “My dedication and focus has made me one of the most competent and fastest women drivers or any driver– around the tracks I have taken on.”
A former Technology Executive, Lynn went on to form her own company which was very successful in
Photo: Dean Gaschermann Lynn with her GT4 RS at Cadbora Bay at Dusk
developing cellular innovations worldwide. She is a formally trained chef in French culinary arts, a collector of fine wines for decades, and can often be found these days on a Pickle ball court. Not one to sit still for long, when the world ground to a halt during Covid, Lynn studied Japanese and did a deep dive into the cuisine.
Her current Porsche garage includes a manual 2020 GT4 and a 2023 GT4 RS. She admits she is firmly resisting silent electric cars in favour of the symphonic sportexhausts of Porsches.
Lynn has focused on improving her speed and times for more than ten years. “I started enjoying motorsports in 2013 after I got my 911. After attending the Porsche Sport Driving School in Birmingham, Alabama, I shifted to driving cars instead of driving golf balls, and haven’t looked back”.
Reflections
“My advise to ladies with a thirst for speed is to accept guidance, do some training and don’t be shy. Jump on a Porsche driving offering for an amazing vacation. Do a Porsche winterdriving school in Quebec or Finland, for the most fun ever! These all-inclusives are like a Club Med, except with snow and ice.”
Lynn says she gets a lot of fulfilment out of witnessing the joy that her cars bring to other people. She sees it almost daily, and especially in children who exhibit unbridled joy seeing her cars. “When there are kids around, it’s fun to let them sit in the car and get photos taken with those huge smiles.”
“At my first Porsche sportdriving school was in 2013, I was the only female driver in attendance. My instructor was a former NASCAR driver– he told me I was the fastest driver of everyone there. It sure felt like it, and it felt really good! The instructor
had encouraged us that even as beginners, the ladies are as capable as men, have as much fun and are also graciously supportive of each other” Lynn adds: “This continues to be important , that we gals support each other in what has traditionally been a guy dominated space. The fellows I know really enjoy and respect our driving skills and adventurousness.”
Fast-forward more than ten years of pushing cars to the limit on tracks, Lynn has found a passion in coaching other drivers. “I really love helping people set their personal bests!“ She started mentoring in Porsches and now she’s “helping “Speedpassionate guys and gals hit their personal best in every brand.”
Lynn concludes,: “Behind the wheel of a Porsche on the track, there’s no gender only skill, passion, and the pursuit of excellence.”
She’s most definitely a woman of speed and grace.
Photo submitted: Lynn shares a laugh with track coaches Goa and Robèr after a driving day at Spa
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Garth Webber Atkins, Past President
By Karen Bresler
Photo credit as specified
Photo by Dean Gaschermann
An integral part of VIRPCA since 2014, Garth Webber Atkins is a woman who goes about her duties with methodical precision. Give it to Garth and you know it will get done. A former Membership Chair (2017-2019, Vice President, (2019-2021) President (2021-2023) and currently Past President, Garth has tons of experience and wisdom to offer.
She is first and foremost a car aficionado. But before we go there, lets go back a bit.
Garth was born in Vancouver at Grace Hospital. At the tender age of 17, due to accelerated grades in school, she studied Zoology. A graduate at 20, she decided she wanted to go backpacking in Europe so Garth obtained a job in the oil fields of Fort St. John to make the money to fund the trip. At the time, Garth was the second women hired by the employer. Working as a welder’s helper, pipefitter’s helper, swamper and doing general labour jobs, Garth says it was quite a learning experience. Working at the very start of the era of women working in non-traditional fields, the labour shortage in the area worked in women’s favour.
Just before leaving Fort St.John after nine months there, Garth was a foreman and “got to drive the truck.” She left to go backpacking in Europe for two and a half months and when she returned, it was time to figure out her next steps. Garth obtained a job in forestry in Terrace, hired by a Crew Chief who thought it would be cool to have a woman on the crew. She really enjoyed forestry, and went on to become a registered professional forester, and have a 37 year career with the provincial government. Though it was another job in a male dominated field, Garth comments : “I didn’t feel I needed to prove anything more than any other worker– just be good at my job and a decent human. In one of the training courses I took in the early years there were 30 people in the class and I was the only woman. It didn’t feel strange to me by that point, thought it was a new experience for some of my classmates. By the end of the class, we all got used to each other and I had some new friends.”
“It probably helped that I was king of a tomboy growing up. I thought the boys got to do way cooler stuff than the girls did. I never wanted to be a boy but I sure thought they had better toys, better games.” Garth notes though, that “Because of all this, I barely notice
if I am the only woman in the room at a club event, but I understand that other women may not find it as comfortable”
Garth moved into policy in Victoria in 1991 and thereafter into management “and it is that experience with policy that gave me a set of skills that are useful in any organization.”
A Stable of Gold Cars and VIRPCA
Garth says she always liked sports cars. “At some point I wanted a stable of gold coloured cars. I like gold– its regal.”
“I feel most at home wearing or being surrounded by warm tones: earth colours and autumn colours and gold is one of these”
Garth bought her Porsche, a 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo in 2014. “I call it gold but its actually “Kalahari Beige”. This is Garth’s fifth car, some of which she continues to own. Currently in the stable is the 1989 Nissan 240 SX which Rowland now has, and the 1993 240 SX, gold with a sunroof, named Solyra. Garth says her Porsche was affordable and although not a project car, it needed some mechanical work, “It’s the right car for me. I have enjoyed it. I like my cars to be a partnership- they are not just transportation for me, its an extension of me. I have a “Type” in a car. I like
the lines visually, the sloping hatch and the long nose. Hatchbacks”. Garth named the 944 “Golden Sovereign”. She says it’s the “first car I’ve ever had that sent out a masculine vibe. When I first bought him he had black turbo-twist wheels and gave off a very badboy vibe. I painted the wheels gold and he became a little more sophisticated, but still quite masculine.”
Photo submitted
Mother’s influence and Garth’s first car
“I am quite certain I got my enjoyment of driving from my mother. My mom got a job where she needed her own car, and she bought a NSU Prinz, an adorable
sports car. Then she had a succession of sports cars. She liked hatchbacks too. Rather than trading in her Envoy Epic she gave it to me as my first car. She had a bit of a lead foot. Sadly it was the least sporty car
she owned, but I added the racing stripe to make it a bit sportier” Garth named this car Gypsy pointing a little to her adventurous energy.
Garth describes a mother who was ahead of her time in that she worked outside the home. She also purchased a piece of recreational property on her own. Garth says: “She knew how to get things done and was very independent. She never had the idea that a man should do it for her. I may have come from a line of strong independent women.”
Living in Terrace for a few years. Garth became accustomed to long drives to and from White Rock in her 1980 Mercury Capri RS. Usually a two day drive, Garth recalls doing it in one day as she would not mind driving for long periods and would minimize stops to be efficient.
In 1990, Garth bought a Cherry Red Pearl 1989 240SX, which she named Sheba. A few years later, she met
Rowland and they married and had a child. The 240 SX was the family vehicle until their son was eight. They would go camping in it and it would get chains to travel in snow. More recently Garth and Rowland have become regulars in the rally world. At the last AGM they received the Time, Speed and Distance Rally Award for 2024.
“The Club supports my sense of adventure. Going somewhere I have not been before, experiencing things I have not done before”
Photos: top left and above: submitted
Left: Husband Rowland Atkins and Garth Webber Atkins receive the 2024 Time, Speed and Distance Rally Award.
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Passion
“As a child and young person I was interested in the natural world , and in animals of every kind. I brought many home as pets, though I am not sure you could really call many of them pets. I had fish, turtles, crickets, salamanders, frogs, caterpillars. My mother drew the line at snakes. I continue to enjoy the outdoors, but the interest in all things animal waned to just having a cat for most of my adult life.
“I suppose I do have a strong interest in cars in general, classic cars more particularly, and the ones I own most particularly. As I think about this, I realize that my cars have sort of become like pets. They cost quite a bit more than the cats did, but it’s the same sort of thing. I am quite fond of them, and I look after them. The difference is that they earn their keep by taking me places I need or want to go and are fun to drive. In respect of the 944, it has provided entry into the Porsche club, and has enabled me to connect with many like-minded enthusiasts, and generally lovely people.
“MY 240 SX does a similar thing in a less formal way. People notice the car and comment, and a connection is made that wouldn't have been otherwise.
“I see the car connection as a starting point for the conversation though. It has to be just a starting point for me, because if it was just about the technical aspects of the car, I would run out of conversation pretty fast. I value knowing a few basic things, but its more about driving and having fun for me.
and dinners at new restaurants, Porsche Parade, travelling to new places. Its been quite a buffet of new experiences, and they’ve all been enjoyable.”
Garth loves the sense of freedom driving gives her.
“When you have a vehicle you have power and control and its exhilarating. Its very attractive and enjoyable. You are one with the vehicle.”
“I would say that my most consistent interest is that I really just like to have fun in life and try new things, and learn new things. The 944 and the Porsche club have provided me with opportunities I would not have had otherwise: autocross, rallying, track time, lunches
“When I was hired on to the timber cruising crew at the start of my career, they had an ethic of“work hard, play hard”, and that has resonated with me for the ensuing 45 years. I like to have fun, but I also like to do good work. When I am fulfilling both halves of the whole, I am balanced and happy.”
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
1993 240 SX photo submitted
Editor’s Note: The women of VIRPCA thank Dean Gaschermann for agreeing to be the photographer for the Women of VIRPCA feature article. Dean went above and beyond to capture the women in action, whether at functions or at the chosen location for their photo session. At one event, he was there to photograph one of the women and he met John Clark. John and Dean discussed photography, and watching them you could see kindred spirits in conversation. I asked Dean if he could take a few photos of John that day and he did. This was ultimately the photo chosen by John and Zoë to announce John’s passing and it captured John’s essence. Thank you Dean! Its no wonder we made you honorary member of the “PowHERfuls.”
Photos: Karen Bresler
Oktoberfest 2024
By Gary Glover
Photos: Gary Glover
Ever since attending the 2002 Parade in Boise, my wife and I have always enjoyed visiting the Boise area, the friendship of local PCA members and fantastic roads, either travelling there or around the Boise area. Again in 2024 we planned to attend Silver Sage’s Premier event – Oktoberfest 2024. This year we had convinced two other couples from the Vancouver Island Region to make the trek and experience a great weekend. Planning began in the summer, avoid Interstate Highways, experience unique restaurants and accommodations and arrive on time. In others words, not a direct, fast route. Plans were confirmed, ferry and motel reservations made, info loaded into gps and google maps. We were ready. Unfortunately, due to medical issues, one couple had to cancel days before departure.
Day 1:
Up early to make sure the car is packed, actually over packed, it seems too many clothes etc. are always in the bags and come home unused. Arriving at the BC Ferry Terminal onetime for our early departure, the second couple were parked ahead of us in the line-up. After a two-hour sailing, enough time for a few naps and visits to use the facilities we unloaded and were on our way. The first hour was travelling through the Greater Vancouver morning traffic. Our destination was to the east, so we headed north in true Porsche fashion. Travelling the backroads on the north side of the “Mighty Fraser River”. Our first stop was lunch in Agassiz BC.
Amazing, we arrive with 15 minutes of our planned time. Our afternoon drive continued to Hope on BC HWY 7 and then BC Hwy 3 to Osoyoos BC. We had reservations at the Residences at Spirit Ridge. Great accommodations. The day capped off with an early scrumptious meal at the restaurant and an early night for all four of us.
Day 2:
Not as early a start as the first day, but after a breakfast of yogurt/ nuts and muffins (yes, I had yogurt) we were off. Arriving at the US Border Crossing, no other vehicles in sight. The US officer was awake, he figured that the two Porsches were going to the same place. With five minutes both were in the US. South on HWY 97 we headed, looking for Hwy 155 towards Grand Coulee Dam. Somehow, we got separated but reconnected in Grand Coulee. Lunch was at the Corner Café in Creston WA. Onward we travelled, over deserted backroads, heading to Pendleton OR. Arriving later than planned, we all checked in at the MotoLodge, Pendleton OR. Another gem. Reasonable rates, very clean, great parking. Within walking distance was dinner at the Prodigal Son Brewery & Pub. Another early night for four weary travellers.
Day 3:
Breakfast was a repeat of the previous morning. (More yogurt for me). Leaving Pendleton, we ventured onto the Old Emigrant Hwy. It is actually the old Oregon Hwy 30 that crosses over and under Interstate 84 many times on the way to La Grande OR. No traffic and spectacular views. Well worth the extra time it takes. Lunch was planned for Baker City. The Motherlode Café. Another dining experience of note. Old railroad cars converted into a restaurant. Great food, large servings friendly staff and very reasonable prices. After lunch the decision was made, regrettably, we needed to travel on the Interstate to ensure that we arrived in Boise and were on time for the first Oktoberfest Weekend Event. Fast forward to the Welcome Evening. Great to meet many friends from over the years and meet other Silver Sage members. Lots of chatter, cold drinks, a few games to
raise money for charity, delicious buffet dinner capped off by many door prizes, all courtesy of Porsche of Boise. Finally, all were given instructions regarding the rest of our weekend. Saturday’s Wine Tour or Drive and the Sunday Car Show.
Day 4:
Again for 2024, we signed up for the Oktoberfest Wine Tour on the Saturday. Early to rise, a quick breakfast with our hosts for the weekend, Mark and Linda P. Follow “Pickles” to the dealership, with a brief stop for bottles of water. The first event, a drive, was leaving as we arrived. Other wine tour participants were also arriving. Enough time for a wander around Porsche of Boise and drool over the new vehicles, both inside and outside. Tables covered with coffee, fresh fruit, water and boxes of Krispy Crème Donuts were made available by the generous dealership. Soon there were 28 -30 Porsches, divided into two lines ready to depart. Driver’s meeting was held by Mark P. As usual, a few did not pay attention, this was evident after the meeting. lol Drivers meeting complete, last chance to use the bathroom, the first group departed in single file. No much traffic as we headed out of the Boise area and into the suburbs and then farmlands. Soon four lanes became two. Straight roads started to become twisty, yet our group stayed together like a snake weaving through tall grass. A multitude of Porsche models. 356, air cooled 911, SUV’s etc. and the array of colors in the bright fall sunlight. A sight to behold.
After 90 minutes, we arrive at the first winery. Dunning Estates, in the Caldwell area. https://www.theslopefarm.com Ample parking for all and as we walked to the facility, we could see the second group approaching. Lots of outdoor seating with a stunning view. Two long lines, the bathroom and waiting for wine samples. Lots of chatter between everyone and it was great to meet old friends and make new acquaintances. Lunch time was approaching as members were purchasing bottles of wine. Most had pre-ordered the lunch meal, which was waiting for us a short distance away. Some locals took a direct route and some followed our written instructions, all arriving safely at our second winery and lunch stop.
After a short drive, we arrived at Famici Wine Co. https://famiciwine.com/ Again, ample parking for all with multiple tables and chairs for all. Lunches were packaged and waiting for us. What a fantastic lunch, large sandwich (enough for two) with potato chips, cookies and fruit. While sipping a few small samples of wine. As all finished lunch, the owners gave a brief talk about the winery and their wines. More bottles purchased and squirreled away in the Porsches and time to depart. Our hosts, Mark and Linda P. took a direct route home as we explored a few more twisty roads and then followed our navigation back to their home. Just in time to see Mark doing more yard work. It did not take long and we both were cleaning windshields, wheels etc. for the Show and Shine at the Village the next day.
What a great day, sunshine, great roads, old friends and new acquaintances, fantastic lunch and wine tasting. Does not get much better.
Day 5:
Well, after what seemed like a short night, it was Sunday Morning. Guess that happens when the chore of cleaning car windows turns into an evening of almost concours prep. Lol. Mark and I kind of got carried away, maybe the cold refreshments and lots of talk about our previous adventures together!! After a quick, nutritious breakfast, Mark and I were off to participate in the last event of the weekend. Car Show at “The Village at Meridian”. A stunning location for a display of Porsches. https://www.thevillageatmeridian.com/
We arrived on time and joined the line to enter. Every car was photographed entering and Porsches were parked according to model and year. A stunning display of models from 356 to 992.2. Many GT cars. So many colours and interiors. No two the same. Cars were on display from 10 am until 2 pm, with trophies etc. awarded after 2 pm. Included in our registration was a “Walking Poker Hand” contest. With over 60 stores, participants had to locate the five businesses, ask for a card, which was recorded on your sheet. Best hand wins. Seemed simple, but without google maps, it would have taken a lot longer. Lots of walking. Again
Day 6:
Porsche Boise provided many prizes and great pricing on Porsche stuff. As in 2023, Janice and I won the “Furthest Travelled” trophy. “The Iron Butt Award”. But after conferring with Mark and Shawn, they actually travelled an extra few km’s. By 3:30 pm all the Porsches had left and the village returned to normal. To end the day, along with our gracious hosts, we feasted at a local Japanese Steak House, celebrating Linda’s birthday. Only missed it by a week.
Monday morning started with a light breakfast, packing the car and trying to depart by 7:30 am. Well, that did not work! Trying to stay focussed amid goodbyes etc. We finally departed by 8:30 am. Managing to leave the Boise area, we heading north east and we soon found quiet winding roads. Eventually following the Snake River, we began to head home. The road along the river is just like a snake. Lol. Perfect for Porsches. As I had a medical appointment early in two days time, that meant after lunch, we had to do the unthinkable and travel on the Interstate. Our overnight destination was Ellensburg WA.
Day 7:
Homeward bound. On the road by 8:30 am found us heading north, not west. More Hwy 97 and then Hwy 2, passing through Leavenworth. This has always been a great road and even better in the late fall without the tourist types. As we approached the North Seattle area the weather finally changed to a typical west coast fall day. Cloudy, drizzle and little fog. A quick stop for lunch in Mount Vernon WA. We can recommend Burgermaster. Great value and tasty food. https://burgermaster.com/ We arrived at the Peace Arch Border crossing and actually had our choice of which lane to use. No line up. Within minutes back on our way to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, arriving one sailing before our reserved passage. All good and happy as we were back home before sunset.
Yes, we will be going back to this event in 2025. Great people/friends, location and roads. There are so many other great events like this within the Zone 6 regions. Many members from other regions have supported Vancouver Island Regions main events over the past 25 years, coming from all over Zone 6, Alberta, California and the Mid-West USA. Take the opportunity to visit their regions and discover their great roads. So many to explore and they begin only a ferry ride from your island.
Gary Glover
Larissa Lawrence, Membership Chair
Membership Report: Q4 2024
Kicking Off 2025 With Reflection and Momentum
Happy New Year! As we drive into 2025 with enthusiasm and fresh goals, it’s a great time to look back on the progress we made in 2024 and the opportunities ahead. This membership update offers a snapshot of where we’ve been and how we’re positioned for a strong year ahead.
Membership Growth and Changes in 2024
1.
Welcoming New Members
In December, we added 3 new members, ending the year with a total of 44 new members. While this is a decrease from the 57 who joined in 2023, each new member brings unique perspectives and energy to our community.
We're excited to grow this number in 2025 with your help. Please encourage other non-PCA Porsche owners you know to join. It’s through your referrals our club gets stronger and better.
2. Membership Retention
Transfers Out remained steady, with just 3 members leaving in 2024 a sign of the strength and value of our community.L
Lapsed memberships rose slightly from 36 in 2023 to 54 in 2024. Tragically, some of this loss we experienced was as a result of some members who passed away this past year. Their contributions to our community are deeply valued, and they will be fondly remembered.
Other lapses in membership highlight the opportunity to connect more deeply with our membership and explore ways to better meet your expectations.
3. Transfers
Transfers In totaled 10 in 2024, a slight drop from 14 in 2023, as real estate and economic challenges slowed the rate of population growth on the island.
A Historical Perspective: Vancouver Island Region
Our Vancouver Island Region has shown consistent strength and growth over the years, with primary membership numbers reflecting a vibrant and resilient community:
From 2019 to 2023, primary membership grew by an impressive 23%, overcoming external challenges.
While 2024 saw a slight decline to 427, the strong foundation we’ve built ensures plenty of opportunities for growth in the coming year.
A Snapshot of Our Membership
Here’s where we stand as of December 2024:
Primary Members: 436 (a modest decrease of 0.5% compared to 2023).
Co-Members: 269, showing strong growth with a 3.1% increase
Total Membership:705, reflecting a 0.9% overall growth.
The steady growth in co-membership is particularly heartening, as it underscores the importance of shared experiences and deeper connections within our community.
Looking Ahead to 2025
This year, we’re aiming to build on our strengths and address areas for growth. Here’s what we’re focusing on:
Maintaining and Enhancing Member Experiences:We’ve traditionally had many member events– track time, adventure touring and rally events, social activities, and dinners. If you’ve got ideas for other events, the executive is very supportive of member-lead initiatives. You are the most powerful way to enrich your membership journey.
Reengagement Efforts: A focus on reconnecting with lapsed members and understanding their needs.
Welcoming More New Members:Strengthening outreach to grow our community even further.
We’re excited about these initiatives and the opportunities they create for both individual and community growth.
Thank You for Your Support
As we kick off 2025, I’d like to thank every member for their dedication and participation. Your involvement is what makes this community truly special. So let’s all put our foot on the gas and go!
Vroom! With gratitude,
Larissa
“IntheZone” December 2024
John P Sommerwerck
PCA Zone 6 Rep
This will be my last issue of 2024, that most of you will read in early 2025. As such, it will be a crossover from 2024 into 2025.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope you and your families had a very Merry/Happy Holiday season. We did!
2024 was a good year. We visited eight of the ten Zone 6 regions. Also, on our travel schedule were; the Birmingham Parade, Treffen at Sea, and Treffen Sonoma & Treffen Mt Washington.
2025 will be my last year as Zone 6 Representative. Zone reps are limited to two, two-year terms.
Nancy & I will be striving to visit all 11 Zone 6 regions in 2025. Yes, I think Zone 6 will be welcoming an eleventh region in the New Year. More on this as things are finalized. In 2025 PCA will celebrate its 70th Anniversary on September 13th. More on that in future issues.
2025 Treffen at Sea sets sail Sunday, August 30th from New York, NY, returning on Sunday, September 6th. Treffen at Sea registration is now open! 2025 Fallen Treffen dates and location have been announced. Fall 2025 Treffen will be held at the Four Seasons Resort in Jackson Hole, WY.
Treffen Jackson Hole (Fall 2025) | Treffen North America
If you have an idea for an event we should come to, please reach out to me. Zone 6 signature region events can be found PCA Zone 6 - The Pacific NW Regions Zone 6 abounds in great roads to drive and great automotive venues.
As we head into the upcoming holiday season, we wish you and yours the very best and
Parting shot. Left: PCA 70th Anniversary Logo.
Stay healthy and we will see you in the Zone in 2025!
For those long-range planners in the audience, I would note; Porsche Parade 2025 is scheduled for July 6-12 in Oklahoma City and Porsche Parade 2026 is scheduled for June 14-20 in Lake Placid, NY. The 2025 Spring Treffen will be held at Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA from Apr. 30th – May 3rd. Registration opens on February 5th, 2025.
North Island
Director:
Marc P. Klijnsmit
Happy New Year!!
What a year 2024 has been! I want to thank Porsche Club members for their huge support for Café 356!! I did not keep track, but I think we had at least 50 cars and coffees! And it was not only the mid island members who drove to French Creek. South and North island members come up and down all the time!
The great thing about cars and coffees is making connections with people. I highly recommend going to one of the few locations we meet for cars and coffee on Sundays or Saturdays. South Island members meet every Sunday at Whole Foods, Mid island members at Café 356 and North island have meets in Campbell River, Courtenay and there is a Port Alberni one in the works. 2025 will be another great year with plenty of lunches, dinners, drives and getaways. I am working on various drives, lunches and dinners, a visit to Steve the Rolex guy and a race day at an airport. Dates to be determined!! The new board has met a few times and is excited to inform you about upcoming events throughout the year. Please, check out our website and follow our Facebook page for weekly updates or reach out to one of the island directors.
On November 8 2024 we lost a legend. John Clark left this world peacefully with a sound mind and happy heart but a body no longer able to support life as a result of an aggressive blood cancer. I met John a few years ago while checking out his car. His excitement and enthusiasm for Porsches was contagious. He knew so much about the brand and the culture! We became good friends with a passion for motorsport. He and Zoë were both so involved with the café and without John’s contribution ‘our clubhouse’ wouldn’t be as cool as it is right now! For those interested in John’s art and automobilia, lots of it is on display at Café 356. He will be missed dearly.
For members and non-members with club and/or Porsche related questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out
email, text or a call.
Marc P. Klijnsmit
northisland@virpca.org
416-909-3901
Photo: Karen Bresler
Mid Island
Director: Didier Monier
At the AGM in Victoria I accepted the position of Mid Island Director, with positive anticipation of the 2025 program for VIRPCA drives and meetings. On the planning board there are the following events:
- In coordination with North Island Director, we will organize a Gold River drive.
- Possibly two visits of the Rotormaxx facilities in Parksville. These two visits will be in conjunction of drives from South, Mid and North Island in order to meet at Rotormaxx in Parksville. The visits in the morning will be followed by a lunch at the French Creek pub.
- In Port Alberni, the steam train has been re-certified after a complete rebuild of the boiler. We are planning two visits, whereby members from South, Mid and North Island will meet at the train station in Port Alberni. From there we will have a ride on the train with a train car reserved for the member of the VIRPCA.
Please let me know of any suggestions for drives and we will follow up.
Happy New Year to all of you and your families. Safe drives.
Didier
South Island
Director: Ray Gumbel
Last year, Barbara and I made significant changes in our lives: we both retired and relocated from Vancouver to the Victoria area. I am thrilled to be living in this beautiful part of the country. Although I was previously a member of the Canada West Region, I am no stranger to VIR-PCA. Since 2007, we have attended several events at Crown Isle and Black Rock, where we met many wonderful members and made lasting friendships.
I am excited to step into the role of South Island Director and look forward to connecting with many more of you in 2025. With many years of regional executive experience, I am eager to collaborate with the board. I plan to continue the “Foodie” events organized by Stuart MacLeod and introduce a variety of new activities. Whether it's tours, social nights, or weekend getaways, I will strive to ensure something is interesting and enjoyable for everyone in the club.
If you see me at the next Coffee & Cars in a Guards Red ’88 928S4 or a Glacier Blue ‘84 911, please come over and say hello. I would love to hear any ideas you have for events or simply talk “Porsches.”
Ray Gumbel
Cars and Coffee-South Island 9:00 am every Sunday Whole Foods at the Uptown mall.
In addition to their Porsches, each Sunday can bring a peek into our members’ non-Porsche automotive passions, from beautifully restored trucks and SUVs to amazing sporty selections from other marques from around the world and even the occasional two-wheeled freedom machine!
The conversation is always lively, and coffee and muffins are cheap. For alternatives to the "humble" cof-
Photo: Wyman Lee
Events Chair
Tim
Evans
As the Events Chair I will be coordinating the clubs event calendar and assisting event organizers in arranging and scheduling their events. We will start planning in January for the 2025 events and have a number of drives and multi day tours already in the works. I would love to hear if you have an event suggestion. I urge you to keep checking the website calendar as we will be adding and updating events throughout the year. I look forward to seeing you out on the road at an event.
Tim Evans
Photo: submitted by Tim Evans
AGM November 2024
Congratulations to the recipients of the awards as follows:
President’s Award 2024 : Detlef Ehrhardt
Enthusiast of The Year Award: Marc Klijnsmit
Photo: Wyman Lee
TSD Rally Award 2024 : Rowland Atkins and Garth Webber Atkins, pictured above with Rally Chair, Klaus Kreye.
Photo: Dean Gaschermann
Above Left: Photo: Wyman Lee; Above Right: Dean Gaschermann
Far Right photos: Karen Bresler
Photos: Karen Bresler
December 2024
From Ron Dempsey: VIRPCA Vice President Ron Dempsey and his wife Lisa hosted close to one hundred club members at a holiday party on Sunday, December 8. This year's dinner speaker was British Columbia racing legend and coach Ross Bentley. Ross has won at Daytona and the USRRC and since retiring has become a leading coach, author and speaker.
Thanks to donations that evening, the club raised $20,000 to benefit needy children and their families around Vancouver Island over the holiday period and beyond
Photos Eric Maitland
Photos: Eric Maitland
From the Facebook page: “The Christmas Lunch at the University Club ...was another fun event with great food and conversation. Thanks to Wyman & Sandy Lee for organizing …” Tim Evans
911 ways to use your
“2009 Cayman S. 987.2 on one of our regular trips from the Fraser Valley to Edmonton to visit our daughter and son-in-law. Minus 40 with snow packed roads for about half the trip and it never missed a beat.” John Bowling
This photo of the pink Porsche at Lemans was submitted by Porsche Victoria
Throwback to earlier PorscHER days...
Ladies drive - 2022
An extract from a July 2022 Porscher article...
“On July 10, 2022, seven cars and 12 members met at the Valleyview Centre in Cobble Hill for a drive through the countryside and along the ocean to Ladysmith. The weather was good, with occasional sunny periods, adding to the light mood of the outing...
Thanks to all who turned out. I intend to plan another one next year, and hope this will become an annual event. “
Garth
Call for Submissions - April 2025
The Passion for Driving
For the April 2025 issue of Porscher, we will be exploring the passion for driving.
Contact Karen Bresler at editor@virpca.org to discuss your submissions for this theme or any other submissions.
With the knowledge that when you love to drive it never fades, please view this funny ad by clicking on the YouTube link. Credit as indicated in the video. https://youtube.com/shorts/e615ktqob64?si=ZFiLeyX-2ycx5Y1e
Photo: Garth Webber Atkins
A piece of one of the works of art by member Trace Art. Trace completed four years of art school (Emily Carr College of Art and Design, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and Bealart in London Ont). She had several art shows in Vancouver, Yaletown, Granville Island, Kitsilano, Halifax, London and has sold she estimates about $75,000 worth of art & graphics design in her “ younger years”.
Art by Trace Hart
Art by Elsie Violet Fletcher
Malcolm Fletcher, one of John Clark’s dear friends, is an artist who John greatly admired. Some of Malcom’s art is displayed at Café 356 and has been on show at Porsche Victoria. We plan to have an exclusive interview with Malcom to discuss some of his Porsche themed art for a future issue. In the interim, his daughter Elise Violet Fletcher, eight years old is showing signs of following in her dad’s footsteps. Malcolm says he “sketched the car for her as she wanted to paint like Dad.”
Photo: Malcolm Fletcher
Cars and Coffee gatherings are held weekly on Sunday morning at south island and mid-Island locations, and twice monthly on Saturday or Sunday morning at north Island locations. Check the website for times and locations.
Photo by Wyman Lee
Rebecca McKay writes: “I had a meeting with a local business friend..., while in Stuttgart. Recognizing my fascination with German cars, he surprised me with a trip to the Porsche museum for our business lunch. It was a candy store! I heartily endorse this as a destination for any Porschers visiting the region.”
Das Porsche Museum | Porsche Deutschland
Seen around Cars and Coffee…
Café 356
Photos: Karen Bresler
Wyman Lee writes: “Whole Foods Cars & Coffee for Jan 12 2025. We had 4 past presidents of the Vancouver Island Porsche Club present at our Cars & Coffee...:
Franz-Albert Burgund gave us a view into the great turn out at Campbell River’s Cars and Coffee. He says: “Folks from Campbell River, Courtenay, Comox and beyond.”
Photo: Franz-Albert Burgand
(left to right) Tim Evans, John McGurran, Brad Blaney and Ernie Kowal.”
Photo: Wyman Lee
Ongoing Cars & CoffeeTimes
North Island Cars and Coffee is every second Saturday in Campbell River at the Quinsam Crossing Starbucks- 10am to 12.Cars and Coffee is also every 4th Sunday at Bean Around the World on Cliff Avenue in Courtenay. 10am to 12.
Mid Island Sundays 9:00 am, Café 356, 1025 Lee Road, Parksville
South Island Sundays 9am, Whole Foods Market, 3587 Blanshard Street, Victoria
Upcoming events January March 2024
Please check the website as events are updated all the time. Some notable upcoming events are featured here so you can “Save the Date” We look forward to the cars, people and lively discussions!
Chinese New Year Dinner Year of the Snake
DON MEE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
538 Fisgard Street
Victoria, B.C. V8W 1R4
Sunday February 2nd - Cocktails 5:30pm, Dinner 6pm.
Price is $43 (which includes gratuity).
Celebrate Chinese New Years, by joining Wyman Lee and other VIR members for a dinner at the Don Mee Restaurant.
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/2025
The 2025 Board is going to be meeting In January with its new event coordinator, Tim Evans, to plan the events for 2025. If you have an idea for an event, contact your Area Director to discuss. There are lots of exciting events in the planning stages. Please check the website for updates.
Photo: Eric Maitland
Porsche pets
Pat Lote sent in these adorable photos of her Yorkies, Poppi and Cali, in Kevin and Pat’s Macan GTS . It is tough when you are so absolutely cute and adorable, but you can’t see over the steering wheel to show everyone your pretty, feisty face.
4) Some months ago the Panamanian flagged cargo ship “Felicity Ace” caught fire and sank with many VW family cars going to Davey Jones’s locker. Approximately how many Porsches are currently resting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean?
450, 1,400, 850,1,000
5) Related question: What is the estimated retail value of all the cars lost on the ‘Felicity Ace”?
6) What is the name (initials accepted) of the golf club manufacturing company that helped sponsor Renée Brinkerhoff’s “Valkyrie Racing” 356 Porsche and its recent drive of 356 miles across the Antarctic?
Ping, Taylor Made, Parsons Xtreme Golf, Callaway
7) Why does the new 911 Classic Club coupe have a “double bubble” roof?
Double Bubble Chewing gum takeoff, imitating Fiat Topolino, making room for driver helmets, carbon fibre mistake
8) What year did the Porsche 935 first appear on a race track?
1984, 1973, 1976, 1977
9) Where did Dan Gurney give Porsche its only F1 win?
US GP, German GP, Italian GP, British GP
10) Where did the Porsche Boxster concept make its public debut?
Turin Auto Show, Frankfurt Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, Detroit Auto Show
11) Name the Toronto Canada based IMSA GTD top competitor.
Vasek Polak Racing, Brumos Porsche, Pfaff Motorsports, Heimrath Porsche and Audi
12) What does “RS” stand for in Porsche RS terms?
Really Special, Renn Sport, Rally Sport, Racing Special
Naturally Pacific Resort Agency 2525
Vancouver Island Motor Circuit Profit Guard Consulting
Porsche Victoria Good Fellows Cigar Shop
Dancia Motors Café 356
Unique Accommodations Cleo Connects
PR Historics Appraisals
Porscher Advertiser Index
Villa Eyrie
Please show your support for these businesses by giving them the opportunity to serve you. Also mention that you saw their advert in Porscher so they know their money is well spent. The display of adverts does not constitute an endorsement of the company by VIR or PCA.
Submissions to Porscher Members are invited and encouraged to submit articles and photos that would be of interest to the Club. Photos in JPG or PNG formats. Articles should not exceed 1000 words. Longer articles will be considered on a case by case basis. If submitting photos, please send a caption describing the photo or the people depicted and please indicate the name of the photographer. Please send submissions via email to the Editor at: newsletter@virpca.org
Magazine Deadline The deadline for the next issue is the 15th of the month prior to the issue date. Porscher is issued April, July. October, and January.
Photo Credits: Dean Gaschermann; Wyman Lee, Martin Mansfield, Karen Bresler, Paul Rossmo . Others are credited in articles. If we have omitted anyone, our apologies. Please advise us and we shall credit you next issue.
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Porscher is the official publication of the Vancouver Island Region Porsche Club of America and is published quarterly.
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.
