Porsche Club Of America
SHENANDOAH REGION
IT'S NOT JUST THE CARS, IT'S THE PEOPLE
Holiday Party, 2 December
The 2012 holiday party was held at Historic Michie Tavern near Monticello on the evening of Sunday, December 2. The reception began at 5:30 PM, and tours of the Tavern Museum were offered during the reception. Dinner began at 6:30 PM after Mel Brannan said grace and Director of Operations (and Boxster owner) Sam Morris gave a brief history of the tavern and described the upcoming buffet. The style, as always, was traditional Southern cooking: fried chicken, pulled pork, Virginia ham, black-eyed peas, beets, stewed tomatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, iced tea, hot cider, etc., etc., followed by peach cobbler with ice cream. As always, nobody went home hungry.
After dinner, Election Chair Phyllis Scrogham introduced our newly elected 2013/4 officers: President Sherry Westfall, Vice President Greg Glassner, Secretary Lynne Taylor, and Treasurer Carey Lockhart. Sherry thanked the outgoing Treasurer, Bob Duntley, the outgoing Secretary, Herb Distefano, and all of the 2012 volunteers for their services to the club. She also thanked Flow Porsche of Charlottesville and Euroclassics Porsche of Richmond for their support.
Alex Smith created a new “Presidents Trophy” honoring all of the Shenandoah Region presidents starting from Cole Scrogham, the first president. Driving Chairman Rick Ebinger presented the 2012 autocross awards to Mike Kilmer (class P03 winner), Jeffrey Elmore (class I01), Sherry Westfall (Ladies class), Jim Condon (class P05), and Ed Weidner (class P04 and Autocrosser of the Year). The event ended with a drawing for a variety of door prizes.
Election Results November: The ballots have been counted! The Shenandoah Region Porsche Club of America has elected the following slate of officers for the 2013–14 term:
President: Sherry Westfall
Vice-President: Greg Glassner
Secretary: Lynne Taylor
Treasurer: Carey Lockhart
Congratulations go out to these four outstanding individuals. Our club is fortunate to have such a talented team of individuals fill these leadership positions. The new officers will begin their term January 1, 2013.
The election committee would like to thank all members who participated in the election. A record number of votes were cast.
Election Committee:
Virginia “Ginger” Hurst
Linda Sivers
Phyllis Scrogham, Chair
Euroclassics/Shenandoah DE , 8 October :
Mark Cooke of Euroclassics Porsche and Alex Smith of the Shenandoah Region PCA set up the eleventh annual Columbus Day (Monday, October 8) on the VIR Full Course. There were three run groups, the first of which followed a pace car driven by Euroclassics mechanic Wayne Hall. The “red” and “white” groups were for more experienced drivers. Instructors were available for drivers in all groups.
The track was wet most of the day, so everybody got to practice the art of racing in the rain.
Fall DE, First Settlers Region, 22-23 September: The First Settlers Region ran their popular fall DE at VIR on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23 (South Course) and on Monday, September 24 (Full Course). The sunny but cool and dry fall weather was a welcome relief from the humid summer heat. The South Course is more technical than the Full Course, with a shortened back straight leading into a pinching off-camber hairpin turn appropriately called “the bitch.” The bendy South Course is great opportunity for Cayman drivers to catch high-power cars that are faster on the Full Course 
. Many Shenandoah members drove in one or both parts of the event: Mel Brannan, Hamish Brookeman, Rachael Clark, Jim Condon, Holly and Matt Einstein, the racing team of David, Erin, and Sean Israel, John Kessler, Emmett Richardson, and Sherry Westfall. Rachael’s Audi A4 suffered from turbo troubles, and Mel’s 964 caught fire on the track. Fortunately Mel got out quickly and put out the fire before any serious damage was done to his engine.
August History Quiz by Harry Kennison: August 2012
Here is this month’s history quiz to test your knowledge of the infamous and famous within the Porsche Club of America’s Shenandoah Region as we travel in the “wayback machine” to 2009. Click and drag down on the scroll bar to uncover the answers.
Questions:
Bonus Question: What was unique about the final Autocross course held at the Augusta Government Center in Verona in 2009 and who won the event?
Answers:
Bonus Question Answer: Driver Education Chair Rick Ebinger decided to change things up for the last Autocross event of the year held at the Augusta Government Center in Verona by offering the 48 participants two autocrosses for the price of one. Rick set up the course so it could be run clockwise and counter-clockwise allowing drivers to set two times. When the dust settled, each driver’s times were added together to determine the Fastest Time of the Day. Rick ended up with the third fastest combined time and first among the Porsches in his “forever young” 1974 914. Evans Reynolds was second among the Porsches in his 1988 911 and Erik Boody was third driving Rick’s 914. Cristina McCann was the fastest among the Porsche lady drivers in a 2008 Cayman belonging to her father, Paul Sponseller. Cristina, who ended up fastest overall in the Ladies Class for 2009, later received the “Autocrosser of the Year Award” at the Holiday Awards banquet for her spirited drives and continual improvement.
New Boxster (981) Launch, 13 July : The new model 981 Boxster was launched at the King Family Vineyards on the evening of Friday, July 13 by Flow Porsche of Charlottesville. At least 25 Shendandoah Region members attended to meet old friends, enjoy the scenery, drink the wine, eat the hors d’oeuvres (they were too fancy to be called “munchies”), and see the 2013 Boxster up close for the first time. Flow also brought a Cayenne, a Panamera, and a 991 Cab.
The new Boxster has a bigger footprint—the wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer and the front track is 1.6 inches wider—but the weight is lower, only 2910 pounds for the Boxster S with the manual transmission. Some of the weight loss comes from aluminum doors and trunk lids.
The Euroclassics Porsche launch was held on the morning of Saturday, July 14 at the Euroclassics showroom in Midlothian, VA. Light breakfast refreshments were served in the adjacent room. The styling of the new Boxster takes some cues from the Carrera GT, including the sloped console and sculpted doors leading into the air intakes just behind the doors. The 3.4 liter engine of the Boxter S puts out 315 hp and has a 7800 rpm redline. Other go-fast goodies include dynamic transmission mounts and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV), the latest electronic incarnation of the limited-slip differential. The basic Boxster S starts at about $60,000, but it’s easy to add $20,000 in “must have” options.
The 2012 “Rumble at the Oak Tree” Club Race and Advanced DE at VIR 22-24 June
This year’s “Rumble at the Oak Tree” club race and advanced driver’s education (DE) sponsored by Zone 2 featured a race class for BMWs in addition to the two Porsche race groups—the “red” group for low-power and “black” group for high-power cars. As usual, the weather was very hot for this late-June event. The sprint races were on Saturday and the enduro took place on Sunday. The DE sessions were sandwiched between the racing sessions, and the DE drivers got plenty of track time. Shenandoah members present included Rick Ebinger (volunteer for timing and scoring), Sherry Westfall (volunteer for almost everything), Jim Condon (DE driver and volunteer for DE tech), and Mel Brannan (DE driver). Dan Ehrman drove his Boxster down to VIR on Sunday and watched the enduro races. |
May History Quiz May by Harry Kennison: May 2012
Here is this month’s history quiz to test your knowledge of the infamous and famous within the Porsche Club of America’s Shenandoah Region as we travel in the “wayback machine” to 2008:
Questions:
Bonus Question: Synergy Racing’s annual “Fall Fling” at Virginia International Raceway included a banquet with a nostalgic theme. What was the theme and what was the centerpiece for the banquet?
Answers:
Bonus Question Answer: At the 2008 “Fall Fling” banquet the theme was “James Dean,” legendary movie star and Porsche racer. The center piece of the banquet was silver 550 Spyder provided by none other than Weldon Scrogham.
Russ’s Ramblings May
by Bruce Russell: May 2012
I have to admit that I was very saddened with the passing of Dr. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche on April 5th. Dr. Porsche (aka Butzi) did more to define the Porsche marque than anyone else in the history of Porsche A.G.. Butzi designed the 911 which was introduced to the world in 1963. The iconic 911 is the sports car that the world associates with Porsche and it has been that way for 49 years. An incredible achievement in my opinion.
I will always remember the 1963 picture of Butzi sitting on the left front fender of the new 911. He had a smiling look of approval on his face; I wonder why!
I attended two of Shenandoah Region’s events during the last month, although there has been a full slate of events to pick from. There has been a couple of very nice driving tours and the Autocross season is off to a “flying” start.
On May 5th, the Shenandoah and First Settlers Regions had a joint event here in Richmond. The event started with First Settlers’ regular monthly breakfast meeting at the Silver Diner. These breakfast meetings are fun and a good to time for me to catch up with PCA friends who live here in Richmond and belong to the First Settlers Region. After the breakfast, the “party” moved a mile down Broad Street to Concours Detailing.
Concours Detailing is known in the Richmond area for making something ordinary look exceptional, and they do it very well. We were treated to demonstrations of how the Concours technicians work their magic. Cleaning and detailing a car is not rocket science, but is does take having the proper equipment, car care products, and time. Of course, there is a proper sequence of steps to achieve the “exceptional” look. The folks at Concours took us through all the steps as they actually detailed a car. They explained what products and equipment they use to achieve that Concours look. Many questions were asked during the demonstrations and a lot of very good information was shared.
Concours also demonstrated their installation of clear paint-protection film to a new car. I am always amazed at the demonstration of applying the film to the forward-facing surfaces of a car. If you have ever tried to apply the film yourself, you will appreciate seeing a professional installation with NO air bubbles under the film. I have the 3M paint-protection film on my Carrera. I love it because it saves the front of my car from the perils of “road rash” and the acidic damage caused by squished bugs. I also have the film on my wife’s new Honda Accord. Good stuff.
I couple of my work colleagues from the police department joined me for the breakfast and the Concours demonstrations. One of the gents is a British sports car guy and the other gent has a 1966 Sting Ray. They do not own a Porsche, but they love sports cars and that is fine with me.
The event ended with a wonderful catered lunch provided by Concours Detailing. We were treated to “world-class” BBQ and fixin’s from Buzz & Ned’s BBQ. Buzz & Ned’s is a Richmond institution and is not to be missed if you like Virginia BBQ. Thanks to the folks at Concours Detailing for the great event!
On May 17th I attended a rare mid-week event at the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) in Ruckersville. I know you have seen the crash testing videos of a new car being driven at 45 mph into a solid wall as the crash dummies get hurled around inside the car…this is the place that does that testing. I must confess I never knew this facility was located right in our backyard!
The event was organized by our member Keith Welty, and Keith did an outstanding job. I was surprised how well attended the event was for a Thursday morning. Maybe we should have more weekday even…hint, hint.
The event started with an hour-long presentation about the IIHS, how it is funded, what types of crash testing they do, and some of the empirical studies they released on car safety. The presentation was done in a huge hangar-like room. Probably 30+ cars they have crash tested are on display; this is just a sample of all the cars they have tested. They even have a 1959 Chevrolet Bel-Air that they crash tested against a new car. Trust me when I tell you the old cars were built like tanks, but did not provide very much occupant protection in a crash. No, there were no crashed Porsches on display.
The young lady making the presentation was extremely knowledgeable about all the crash test vehicles that were on display and the results of all those tests. My head was spinning and she just moved on to the next topic.
The highlight of the day was the actual crash test of a new Chevy Malibu into a tractor-trailer rig. If you have ever driven behind a tractor-trailer, you will note a metal bar that hangs down from the rear of the trailer. This bar is to prevent a car from going under the trailer in a frontal collision. If the bar were not there, the crash would have catastrophic consequences for the automobile’s occupants because the car would ride under the trailer and cut the top of the car off. The test we observed from the observation balcony was the Malibu driven at 35 mph ramming into the rear of the trailer to test the strength of the metal bar.
If you had been driving the Chevy Malibu, you would most likely have survived with only minor injuries if any at all. The metal bar on the trailer did its job and the car handled the crash very well. Let me stop and digress for a moment. In my job with the police department, I respond to numerous automobile crashes. Today’s cars are very safe, especially those with the side and side-curtain airbags. We see more injury from the airbag “explosions” that occur during a crash than from actual crash damage to the vehicle. But remember, if the airbags did not deploy the chances are very good your injuries would be much more serious; airbags work.
After the excellent tour and demonstration at IIHS, we all adjourned to a local Mexican restaurant for lunch and fellowship. All in all, it was a very fun and informative day. I drove back to Richmond at 35 mph!
Our Region management team has a great slate of events planned as we head into summer. RPM is right around the corner; I hope to see you there.
Until next time, drive safe.
First Settlers Region Spring DE at VIR May
The weather was perfect for the First Settlers Region Spring DE (driver’s ed) at VIR, May 18–20. Shenandoah Region drivers included “Mad Mel” Brannan, Hamish Brookeman, Bob Brown, Rachael Clark, Jim Condon, Matt and Holly Einstein, David Israel, Erin Israel (just back from a maternity leave), John Kessler, Scott Leopold, Emmett Richardson, Sherry Westfall, and Ed Weidner. Mel’s 964 is distinctly faster on the straights, thanks to a new supercharger. Jim and Sherry brought their 2007 Cayman S to the track for the first time. Congratulations to Ed Weidner (first time at VIR) and Bob Brown (first full DE). From the Richmond Area, Steve Sarfaty drove his recently-detailed and still shiny BMW, and Scott Reisenweaver brought his new track weapon, a GT3. Tom Bobbitt came back from Florida to drive his GT3RS.
A Car Crash and Lunch, 17 May:
Located in the scenic foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Greene County is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a non-Government and non-profit agency whose mission is “reducing the losses—deaths, injuries, and property damage—from crashes on the nation’s roads,” and reducing the claims that the insurance industry has to pay, no doubt. Keith Welty made a reservation with the IIHS so we could tour their facility and watch their test of a Chevrolet Malibu underriding a semitrailer on May 17.
The tone of the tour was set as soon as we entered the building. In the foyer were two old wrecked Chrysler LeBarons. Their real on-road crash was the first in which air bags in both cars deployed. Both cars were totaled, but both drivers walked away. (To see the cars described throughout this article. Then our tour guide rounded everybody up and led us to a huge room filled with wrecks from the many IIHS test collisions. The IIHS is to be commended for its extremely informative displays and clear presentations.
To illustrate how much safer modern cars are than older and supposedly stronger cars, the IIHS crashed a modern Chevy into a big old 1959 Chevy. Both cars were totaled, but the front of the modern Chevy crumpled and sacrificed itself to save the passenger compartment, which remained intact. In contrast, the stiff hood of the old Chevy got pushed into the passenger compartment, which partially collapsed and failed to protect the driver.
The original government crash test simply drove every car into a barrier, which is equivalent to a head-on collision with a car of the same mass (weight). This test made small, light cars look good but failed to take into account conservation of momentum. In real collisions, light cars tend to do worse than heavy ones. The tiny “Smart Car” did well in the government barrier test but badly when the IIHS crashed it into a Mercedes.
Rollovers account for many fatalities, so the IIHS built a rollover simulator, a giant press that squashes the roof of a car by applying a force equal to four times the car’s weight. If the roof collapses more than a few inches, the driver is likely to be hurt.
Most crashes are not head-on, so the IIHS simulates a wide variety of collisions, including straight-on collisions in which the cars are offset and sideswipe each other and “T-bone” collisions in which one car hits the side of another. Not only do these IIHS tests provide a lot more safety information than the old government tests, the published IIHS safety ratings spur car manufacturers to redesign their new models and make them safer. If you must crash, do it in a heavy new car!
The collision we watched involved a Chevy Malibu crashing into the rear of a parked semitrailer. This didn’t test the car itself, but rather the collision bar below the rear of the semitrailer. A badly designed collision bar can decapitate the front-seat passengers (see the photo of another Chevy Malibu that underran a badly designed bar). Shortly before the crash, we were led into another large room with the semitrailer waiting at one end, and the victim car was at the end of a long tunnel at the other end. 750000 watt floodlights were turned on, and the movie cameras rolled. The car was accelerated to about 50 mph and crashed into the truck. I had expected to hear the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass, but all I heard was a loud “Bang!” like a gunshot. It was the sound of the airbags going off. Unfortunately, the IIHS does not all me to post photos of the crash itself; the crash data are proprietary.
This tech session was a real eye-opener. If you missed it this time, be sure to catch it when you can in the future. Everybody paid attention and left with a new appreciation of crash safety. Except possibly Jim Condon and Sherry Westfall, who drove in the DE at VIR later that weekend.
Breakfast at the Silver Diner, Concours Detailing Tech Session, and Concours Judging, 5 May
The First Settlers and Shendandoah Regions held a joint event in Richmond on Saturday, May 5. First, we had breakfast at the Art Deco style Silver Diner. After the breakfast, we drove to Concours Detailing to admire the special cars on display and for a tech session that demonstrated car detailing, installation of protective plastic film, and repair and restoration of leather upholstery. The tech session was followed by a great barbeque lunch provided by Concours Detailing, and finally an informative talk by Dave Lasch on concours preparation and judging at our upcoming RPM. Concours Detailing photos…
Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards Scenic Driving Tour 29 April
The recently unreliable weather gods smiled on our April 29 scenic driving tour from the Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards in North Garden to King Family Vineyards in Crozet. Pippin Hill has a new tasting room and restaurant located at the top of a hill with spectacular views of nearby farms and mountains. After lunch, Lynne Taylor and Sherry Westfall led a scenic tour through western Albemarle county. Lady Porsche drivers included Beth McKenney and Robin Wintzer. We ended up at King Family Vineyards for a late-afternoon wine tasting.
Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards Scenic Driving Tour 29 April
Homestead Resort Scenic Driving Tour–April 15, 2012
By Bernie Kennison
My first driving tour with the Shenandoah Region and I’m addicted! Yes, I previously assumed these tours were just a bunch of men “burning gas.” And, yes, I’ve even been put out on the highway by the side of the road and told by my husband, Harry, to “watch me go by really fast.” It’s the price we pay for being the women who love them (the cars I’m talking about).
Anyway, every tour won’t be as scenic and beautiful as this one; the temperature was perfect for “top down” motoring. Having set out from the Target in Waynesboro near the front of the pack of nine Porsches, I found it was better in the second half of the tour when we were near the rear because you got to watch all those gorgeous Porsches ahead of you. The sound of the engines is pretty neat too! Every stop sign is the equivalent of tearing out of the pits in a Formula 1 car at Spa [home of the Belgian Grand Prix]. I never sought out my “Adele” CD, as the sound of the Porsches was more than enough music for my ears. The fisherman on the rocks and rapids along the Maury River Road reminded me of the movie, “A River Runs Through It” and, of course, the vistas were amazing.
We met new friends from the First Settlers Region, Rob and Regina McDonough. Turns out Regina picked the colors of their spectacular linen and natural leather interior 911 Carrera S Cabriolet. If you need help picking the colors for your next Porsche, Regina is your go-to person and I believe she’ll help you out in exchange for a large bottle of body lotion from the Homestead Spa.
I also met Amy Harmon and her husband Paul. As it turns out he’s a child therapist who assured me that 13 year-old girls who glare at you (I have one living next door!) will change when they’re 17. Only four more years to go for some relief! I’m more convinced than ever that a two-seater Boxster is definitely the way to travel during those four years.
So, to summarize my first Porsche driving tour: top-down 82 degree weather, beautiful scenery, interesting people, excellent lunch at the Homestead Casino restaurant, and, yes, the roar of the engines. Oh, and Mike Cirino is better than having your own Garmin GPS as he tells you not only where to go but even lets you know if there’s a bump in the road. One more thing, the “Sweeper” driver did an excellent job too! Her business card should read:
Sherry Westfall
President & Master Sweeper Driver
Porsche Club of America Shenandoah Region
For those of you who couldn’t make it, you missed a great tour! How about the same drive next year?
2012 Zone 2 DE at VIR, 16-18 March
The first track event of the year for most of us is the Zone 2 PCA DE (driver’s ed) at VIR. It is very popular because it is well run and because DE junkies are desperate to get back on track after a long winter layoff; its main drawback is the threat of cold and rainy March weather. This year we got lucky with three warm, dry, and mostly sunny days (March 16–18) of driving. It rained the night of March 15, so March 16 started out with some ground fog and a damp track, but the intrepid “white” run group went out first and dried off the track for the rest of us.
The Shenandoah Region was well represented by drivers “Mad Mel” Brannan, Rachael Clark, George Coles, Jim Condon, Fritz Flynn, David Israel, Erin and Sean Israel (not driving), Scott Leopold, Jim Ottaway, Emmett Richardson, and Sherry Westfall. The usual suspects from the Richmond mafia in First Settlers included Brian Coey, Perrin DesPortes, Marco Estrada, Carl Gerster, Phil Grandfield, Bret Jacobson, Jacob Kay, Scott Reisenweaver, Cliff Reynolds, Steve Sarfaty, Bud Syme, and Damien Walsh. Zone 2 Rep Tom Zaffarano was the DE chairman and drove his silver 964 C4 (photo above), and PCA President Manny Alban showed up in his unmistakable polka-dot 964 “Wunderbred”. Mel’s 964 lost a throwout bearing early on, but he got back on track in a borrowed Audi. Emmett had major suspension work done on his 997S by Lufteknic, and he spent most of the weekend learning to drive an essentially new car. Four month old Sean Israel rode along on a few charity laps, and Erin will resume driving soon.
The horsepower arms-race continues: there were 44 GT3’s at the event! Unmodified GT3’s were the “momentum” cars in the “red” run group.
Non-Porsche entertainment included the really loud squealing sounds from a drifting school on the dry skidpad and a flyover by several Apache helicopters whose pilots circled the track a few times to enjoy the Porsche show below.
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