Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center, June 1–3, 2018
by the 2018 RPM Committee

The weather forecast for the 22nd annual Richmond Porsche Meet (RPM) was dubious at best—there was a significant chance of rain, lots and lots of rain the entire weekend. All we can say is that didn’t prove to be the case, as the rains held off during the day in Glen Allen for all three days. The clouds did open up Saturday evening. I’m sure there was some trepidation among both those who had registered for the event and those who were planning on being there Saturday morning for the Concours.

To see the photo gallery covering RPM 2018, click here to see David Ogburn’s photos on flickr.

RPM 2018 was held at the lovely Virginia Crossings Hotel and Conference Center, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Glen Allen, where participants enjoyed onsite lodging and dining as well as a judged Concours and People’s Choice selection in the courtyard on Saturday morning.

But before we get into this year’s event, let us provide a little history and give credit to RPM’s founder, Alex Smith, a Shenandoah member who first hosted RPM in his back yard and then continued organizing this event for the next 19 years. Many thanks to Alex for his dedication and hard work in creating Shenandoah’s signature event! Since then, RPM has grown to attract Porsche enthusiasts and over 100 of their Porsches from Regions all across the East Coast.

Now back to RPM 2018. This year, Shenandoah Region created an RPM Committee to spread the load and to ensure that members and guests experienced an exciting and fun weekend. The Committee chaired by Hank Weil included Mark Doherty, Marty Doherty, Randy Bell, Michael Evans, Clint Shuler, John Odden, Eric Boody, Rick Ebinger, Jason Wavell, Dan Kuchemberg, Tim Foster, Roger Borsink, and Dave Lasch.

Marty Doherty coordinated the volunteer process, and about 30 volunteers from Shenandoah and other PCA regions came together to continue the premier Shenandoah Region event and one of its great traditions.

This Porsche-packed weekend included a visit on Friday to Euroclassics Porsche for a tech session by Lewis Ward, one of the Richmond area’s most experienced and recognized detailers. Lewis fielded questions on a variety of detailing subjects and reviewed available products and techniques to improve the paint on our Porsches. After the Tech Session, participants could spend time with other RPM participants in the Hospitality Suite (a new addition for 2018) at Virginia Crossings and then make plans to have dinner either on site or at a number of restaurants in the area.

Saturday morning, our friendly onsite registration team, coordinated by Marty Doherty, performed like a finely tuned Porsche as they checked in guests and sent them on to other volunteers who directed them to parking, registration, and the RPM festivities. An enthusiastic team of volunteers at Info Central handed out maps and gave directions and/or guidance to participants. Shenandoah member and Deputy Manager for Community Operations for Henrico County, Tim Foster, prepared detailed maps, arranged to have the traffic stopped at busy Route 1 for our fun run, and provided his expertise on county regulations and area roads. He also helped with set-up and take-down.

Not only did it not rain, but the courtyard lawn at Virginia Crossings was sufficiently dry and firm so that both the Euroclassics Porsche–sponsored Concours and the Porsche Corral could be held on the grass. Congratulations to our Concours Class winners and to the Euroclassics Concours Best in Show winner George Michaels and his 1991 Porsche 928 GT, for which Euroclassics awarded him a Porsche Driving Experience. We would also like to congratulate John Ashford, the 2018 Gay Jewett People’s Choice Award winner with his Aquamarine blue 1957 356A Speedster!

Click here to see the complete Concours judging results.

Saturday lunch was a buffet in the Glen Restaurant. Dan Kuchenberg and Paula Ironmonger collected tickets and counted 105 members, sponsors, and guests attending the luncheon.

Jason Wavell led a large group on a lively 90-minute fun run along winding country roads to the Hanover Tavern, where the participants could tour the old tavern and partake in a cold drink before returning to Virginia Crossings for some down time before the Saturday evening Awards Banquet.

The banquet was sponsored by Dorn’s Body & Paint. Before dinner, we were entertained as Dan Rowzie recalled his adventures co-driving an early 911 Targa with an IROC racing engine in the 1975 running of the legendary “Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash” (a.k.a. Cannonball Run). This is an outlaw race from New York City to Redondo Beach California, which he and his co-pilot completed in 38 hours and 39 minutes. Their on-course adventures included eluding police in New Jersey, getting a ticket in Texas, and passing competitors at 130 mph to psych them out.

RPM wouldn’t be RPM without a chance to satisfy our need for speed Sunday morning and to see how fast our Porsches can go on an autocross course laid out by Rick Ebinger and timed by Erik Boody. The course this year was set up with some nice long straightaways on the Richmond Raceway “Bus Lot.” The 15 participants were thoroughly challenged by this course. What a great way to end a great RPM weekend. See the autocross article below.

We would like to especially thank Mark Doherty for his behind-the-scenes work with the staff of Virginia Crossings to ensure that all the necessary support equipment was available and that all the planned events at the hotel took place without issues. Thanks to Randy Bell for his unwavering support, his title sponsorship work with Euroclassics Porsche and Dominion Raceway, and his responsibility for set-up and take-down; as well as his being the contact point for the Saturday Fun Run road conditions. The heavy rains prior to RPM caused part of the route to be washed out.

A huge thank you to John Odden for coming up with the idea of a Hospitality Suite that he kept stocked with cold beverages and snacks and for assisting with setting up the Sponsors’ banners. A special thank you goes to Jim Condon, our Club’s webmaster and photographer, and to David Ogburn for taking great photos of the event posted in this article and on our Club website.

Many thanks to the following sponsors and contributors who made RPM 2018 a great event:

Title Sponsors

• Euroclassics Porsche (Mark Cooke, Chris Rennie, & Brian Faulkner) — Midlothian, VA (Also donated a Porsche Driving Experience for the Best of Show Concours winner)
• The Drivers Club at Dominion Raceway (Jim Lorimer) — Thornburg, VA (Also donated two gift certificates for driving days at Dominion Raceway
• Dorn’s Body & Paint (Barry Dorn, John Defrancesco, Clay Milburn, Scott Hamilton) — Mechanicsville, VA (Also donated gift certificate for Ceramic-Pro paint protection)

Club Sponsors

• PhotoWorksGroup (Mike & Geoff Kilmer) — Charlottesville, VA (Donated Shenandoah and RPM banners and other signage)
• PrintSource (Ben Briggs) — Charlottesville, VA (Donated printing of the RPM brochure, program, poster, fun run instructions, and other items)

Enthusiasts

• Flow Porsche of Charlottesville (Shawn Ayers, Will Reifsteck, & Jason Robson) — Charlottesville, VA
• Burleigh’s Body Shop (Sam Aronson) — Richmond, VA
• G & W Motorwerkes, LTD. (Phyllis & Weldon Scrogham) — Waynesboro, VA

Contributors

• Automotive Aesthetic (Daniel Wendell) — Charlottesville, VA
• Capital Autobahnd (Joe Deroche) — Richmond, VA
• Detailer’s Domain (Phillip Yiu) — Norwood, NJ
• Newhall Mobileworks (Jonathon & Lisa Newhall) — Waynesboro, VA

Supporters

• Beecroft & Bull (Josh Rozan) — Richmond, Virginia Beach & Charlottesville, VA
• Flawless Finish (Joel Dryden) — Richmond, VA
• Overstreet European Motors (Paul Overstreet) — Gordonsville, VA
• Radio Communications of Virginia (William Smithson & Elaine Mitchell) — Glen Allen, VA (Donated use of radios during Saturday’s activities)
• Porsche Club of America (Zone 2 Rep Ruth Ann Novatnak) — (Provided multi-event subsidy)

We sincerely thank all of you who gave your time, talents, and resources to make RPM 2018 a success. There were so many of you that we were unable to name everyone. If you volunteered and your name was not mentioned in this article, please know that your contributions are very much appreciated.

Remember it is not just the cars, but also the people who make the Shenandoah Region great!!!