Porsche Club Of America
SHENANDOAH REGION
IT'S NOT JUST THE CARS, IT'S THE PEOPLE
Annual Holiday Party: Our annual holiday party took place on December 7 at Michie Tavern near Charlottesville. Starting at 6 PM there were tours of the tavern museum, while wine, other drinks, and munchies were available in the main part of the tavern. Michie Tavern’s trademark southern-style dinner (fried chicken, ham, black-eyed peas, pickled beets, stewed tomatoes, cole slaw, hot green beans, mashed potatosand gravy, corn bread,…, plus peach cobbler and ice cream for dessert) was served at 7 PM. Nobody went home hungry. Herb Distefano thanked the club officers and other volunteers for their help during his two-year term as president, and he received an ovation for his outstanding service from the sixty members present. Numerous door prizes were handed out, and Rick Ebinger presented awards to the class winners of the 2008 autocross season.
Fall Foliage Tour: This shot looking over the Bank of America parking lot in Gordonsville shows that the 2008 Fall Foliage Tour was the biggest yet, with 28 Porsches of all types and colors filling every available space. Next year we will have to find a new starting point, perhaps the freshly paved parking lot at CDOC. Phil Audibert called the drivers together and handed out driving directions plus historical notes for the route, and we were off at 10 AM, following Susie in her 356C “Green Bean.”
The day was sunny, the traffic was light, and nobody got a ticket on our scenic route through Orange, Madison, and Rappahannock Counties. Along the way we stopped at the apple warehouse in Criglersville and again in Sperryville, where antique tables “are made daily.” Our final destination was Graves Mountain Lodge for their famous buffet lunch. We all did our best to follow their posted rule “Take all you want, but eat all you take.”
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
photo by Sherry Westfall
photo by Sherry Westfall
photo by Sherry Westfall
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
photo by Sherry Westfall
photo by Sherry Westfall
photo by Sherry Westfall
photo by Sherry Westfall
photo by Sherry Westfall
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Photo by Emmett Richardson
Social/Business Dinner Meeting: This October 21 meeting at the new Irish Alley Restaurant and Pub in Staunton featured a great after-dinner presentation by Weldon Scrogram, who told us about his racing experiences with the late Paul Newman and presenting memorabilia from racing in the 1970’s. If you weren’t there, you should have been!
Synergy Racing Fall Fling: Rick’s report:
The following weekend (October 18 and 19) we made it down to VIR once more for the final event of the season. The Fall Fling is one of my most favorite events, with the same people each year showing up and exchanging stories and always trying to drop their lap times. We came down on Friday to get some sleep before a full day on the track. Erik and I have been SLOWLY putting together my car and finally got it for the events. I have been bumming rides primarily with Erik, and it was great to go out and turn a few hot laps with the old 914. It was good to see Alex Smith running down the track in his GT3, and Sherry Westfall and Jim Condon have really raised the bar. Both are really getting around the track at a great clip. It goes to show you how important seat time and working to improve is. I was impressed when I had the chance to chase Sherry. Very good job. We had the usual collection of race cars and street wheels. We had a few Ferraris, including a 355, a 360, and a 430, with a guest visit of a 550 in the pits. We also had a great collection of GT3s, some Synergy prepped 997s, and 997 Cup car of Matt Einstein, and a few Mustangs, Corvettes, and a Very New Viper with 30-day tags. The Viper didn’t survive the weekend, but the driver was OK. Cole Scrogham had a little twist this year, with a seven-lap sprint race in the Red group Sunday afternoon. It was really cool to see the racers going for it, but it was a small field of 6 cars. Hopefully, we will do it sooner in the day and it will be a lot more fun. Great idea Cole, can’t wait until next year.
International Gold Cup Races: Lisa and I attended the International Gold Cup steeplechase horse races held at Great Meadow in Plains, VA near Warrenton on October 18th (this event is always the third Saturday in October), which has been sponsored by Porsche (major sponsor) for the last two years. A photographer took this shot of my 1968 912R alongside a new GT3 RS inside the Porsche tent that I think turned out really nice, especially with the vertical Porsche Club of America banner. It was a very well done event; we only wish more of our Porsche friends were there to share the fun. It was a gorgeous fall day and the venue was beautiful. Porsche set up a tent on “members’ hill” (highest elevation and best place to view races) with a gourmet luncheon that was superb. We should include this event on our calendar for next year; it is a “Do Not Miss event”. Of course, I realize this year it was the same weekend as Synergy Racing’s Fall Fling, but this would allow those with other interest to enjoy gathering with other Porsche enthusiasts in a different atmosphere. If you go to their website, you will find info about this event.
Happy Porsche Motoring,
Johnny Johnson
Autocross at Verona: The final autocross of the season took place at the August Government Center on a beautiful sunny October 12. Rick Ebinger brought his 914 sporting a coat of green primer and a 3.2 liter engine. He ran the slowest time of the day while learning to tame the beast (photo above) and the fastest time for a Porsche (on a later run, needless to say).
Rick’s report:
It was a cool, but very nice, fall day. We surprised the regulars by bringing out my 914. We had a lot of shakedown to do, but the car has great potential. I bounced, slid, skidded, and slid to a pretty good time. The car is a handful, and I have a lot to learn. We set up a simple course, with a fast straight and some technical parts that balance out the track. It is important that track design cover the lower and higher horsepower cars so all have a chance at a top time. We hit the mark again with the top cars being a WRX, a 914, a Miata, and a hot 944 Turbo. Porsche took two of the top three times, and for a full field with some very fast regulars, it was a great showing. We learned that a lot of events have dropped off in participation over the summer, with our local SCCA showing about a 40% dropoff. Luckily, we still had the same numbers. Some of our members keep coming and trying . Rick Kiser brought out his beautiful 993 and Paul Spoonseller keeps working to get faster. I have enjoyed talking with Paul this summer, who is new to autocrossing and started earlier this year with his new Cayman. Paul learned some very valuable lessons from one of our senior SCCA buddies who comes to our events . Paul said some quick advice really helped him improve. I am glad he has had such a good time this year. Keep up the good work, Paul. There were some very cool cars that came out, and it was a great ending to the autocross season. Thanks to those who help, and especially thanks to Mike, Emmett, and Jeffrey for all the help this year in setup and cleanup. Erik and I would be in bad shape without all of your efforts.
| Place | Class | First Name | Last Name | Car Model | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | OTH | Wes | Harman | 2002 WRX | 59.733 |
2 | I01 | Rick | Ebinger | 74 Porsche 914 | 59.85 |
3 | P02 | Howie | Dunbrack | 86 Porsche 951 | 60.921 |
4 | OTH | Ray | Schumin | 2002 Miata | 61.05 |
5 | I01 | Erik | Boody | 73 Porsche 911 | 61.064 |
6 | OTH | Fritz | Flynn | 1993 RX 7 | 61.491 |
7 | OTH | Mick | Seal | Mazda Miata 2002 | 61.578 |
8 | S01 | Jeffrey | Elmore | 00 Porsche Boxster S | 61.93 |
9 | OTH | Keith | Duntz | 2006 Mitsubishi EVO | 62.122 |
10 | OTH | Jeffrey | Glass | 1994 BMW 325i | 62.229 |
11 | S02 | Emmett | Richardson | 06 Porsche 911 Carrera S | 63.622 |
12 | S02 | Rick | Kiser | 1998 993 | 63.869 |
13 | S02 | James | Condon | 99 Porsche 996 Carrera | 63.929 |
14 | P03 | Mike | Kilmer | 83 Porsche 911 Sc | 63.974 |
15 | OTH | Brian | Ripley | 1999 BMW M3 | 64.381 |
16 | OTH | David | Lingenfelter | MX 5 1997 | 65.012 |
17 | OTH | Jim | Rimel | 1989 CRX | 66.232 |
18 | P03 | Eric | Huggins | 1988 911 | 66.381 |
19 | OTH | Cory | Bradburn | 1995 BMW 318 | 66.793 |
20 | LAD | Sherry | Westfall | 1999 996 | 67.252 |
21 | S01 | Paul | Sponseller | 2008 Cayman | 68.673 |
22 | OTH | Justin | Lingenfelter | 2004 Impala SS | 68.883 |
23 | OTH | Paul | Hansen | Miata 1990 | 69.198 |
24 | P03 | Ron | Laub | 911 1983 | 69.73 |
25 | OTH | Robert | Nichols | 1996 Impala SS | 72.46 |
by Phillip Noel Posted 2015 Sep 17 On September 12, Shenandoah PCA members came from around the region for the second tour of the Shenandoah Valley. Click here to see the photo gallery covering this event. We started out in the historic town of Strasburg, VA at the Hotel Strasburg with a multi-course lunch. The food was exceptional and the ambiance was warm and welcoming. After a brief drivers’ meeting following lunch, we headed to the parking lot to begin our driving tour. The weather had been wet with torrential downpours earlier in the day. But by the time we headed to our vehicles, the sun was trying to dry things out. Our first destination was the Lost River Trading Post in Wardensville, WV. To our surprise, the manager opened up the town museum for us at the Wardensville Town Center, which had been closed for the weekend. This was an unplanned event that happened because the the manager heard we were in town. We enjoyed looking at the history of the Wardensville area. We walked across the street to the Lost River Trading Post and took in all the unusual exhibits and for-sale items. The next stage was following Trout Run Road to Edinburg, VA. This route was the bulk of the driving tour. We loved the scenery and “twisties,” although the rain returned and avoiding road hazards from earlier high winds kept our speeds down. We the entered the Edinburg Mill and its museum to take in Civil War memorabilia and local history exhibits. Our final leg took us to Woodstock, where we finished the tour. The Woodstock Brew House hosted us for an early dinner and opportunity to chat with fellow Shenandoah members and recap the day’s activities. The weather was not cooperative for the day but, as usual, the warm friendly fellowship made up for it. Stay tuned in 2016 because planning has already begun for the best tour yet—Shenandoah Valley Tour III. |
Drivers Education at VIR: The First Settler’s Region (FSR) sponsored this event on the South Course on September 20 and 21, and on the Full Course on Monday, September 22. The Shendandoah Region was well represented. “Mad Mel” Brannan and John Kessler were there as instructors.
Both David Israel (red 911) and Erin Israel (silver 996) were promoted from the white run group to the black run group, and Sherry Westfall (burgundy 996) was promoted from green to blue. Congratulations!
Ebinger/Gray Wedding: Shenandoah Region PCA members Rick Ebinger and Pam Gray were married at the Glenn Falls waterfall across the road from their home in Vesuvius on the afternoon of September 13. The reception followed under two tents on the hill behind their house. Note the black Porsche on top of the wedding cake. PCA friends attending included Tom and Eleanor Bobbitt, Eric Boody (the best man) and BJ Regi, Jim Condon and Sherry Westfall, Herb Distefano, Weldon and Phyllis Scrogham, and Bill and Nancy Smith. Rick and Pam went on a weeklong Caribbean cruise for their honeymoon.
The Shenandoah Region PCA celebrated its 13th anniversary with a scenic driving tour from Zion Crossroads to Herb Distefano’s home on the shore of Lake Anna, a People’s Choice concours, an outstanding catered lunch with cake and ice cream, boat rides, and other activities. Herb led the tour in his white 964 cab. The tour crossed seven bridges over Lake Anna (and more for those who got lost) and included a 20-minute stop at Lake Anna State Park near the beach.
Phil Audibert announced the candidates recommended by the nominating committee for president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. They are Bill Sanders, Sherry Westfall, Bob Duntley, and Pam Gray (now Ebinger), respectively.
ohnny Johnson’s bright yellow 1968 “912R” (left) attracted a lot of tiny flying insects (Beware: bright yellow cars do that!) and the most votes in the “People’s Choice” concours. Lisa Johnson drove the low-mileage and really clean “Mercedes yellow” 911SC that Johnny is standing over (right). Both cars are for sale at Ace Autosports.
The shoes on Herb’s dock (left) make it look like Rick Ebinger and Pam Gray just made the big leap, but they only took a ride in Howie Dunbrack’s new 270 h.p. Yamaha boat (right) along with Gary Hagar and Gail McDermott. They will actually make the big leap on September 13. Congratulations!
Rumble at the Oak Tree: The inaugural Zone 2 PCA Club Race and Advanced DE Weekend took place from August 8 through 10 on the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) full course. It was a three-race PCA Club Race weekend (two sprint races and one enduro race). The Advanced DE was open to advanced solo/instructors only in a single run group.
Several Shenandoah Region members attended as volunteers: Eric Boody, Jim Condon, Rick Ebinger, Rebecca Morgan, Mark Stubbs, and Sherry Westfall.
These thumbnails (click to enlarge) show another victim of NASCAR Bend, Cole Scrogham’s pristine white 911R that won at the Parade concours, heavy traffic in the first lap of a practice start, and Pam Gray visiting with Daisy.
Porsche Parade 2008: Shenandoah Region members at Charlotte, NC for the 53rd Annual Porsche Parade. From left to right the front row subjects are Teresa Hanger, Tana Raefer, Gail Smith, Phyllis Scrogham, Bobbie Powers, Ginger Elmore, Jeffrey Elmore, Jill Sanders, and Bill Sanders. On the back row they are Scott Raefer, Johnny Johnson, Thomas Bridgers, Alex Smith, Dave Lawrence, and Herb Distefano. Not pictured are Kerrigan Smith, Weldon Scrogham, and the Cole/Suanne Scrogham family. Technically Scott and Tana Raefer had not become members at time of photo but promised to soon.
RPM 2008: The Shenandoah Region’s 12th annual RPM began with a concours at the spectacular James River property of Howard & Leeanne Faunce. Following lunch at the “Cafe Carrera” there was a driving tour of horse country northwest of Richmond and a tech session on tires and brakes at Euroclassics Porsche. PCA national secretary Manny Alban told us about national goals after the awards banquet. | |
With clouds looming over the autocross racers on Sunday (just what the doctor ordered for that black-top skillet), Southside yielded yet another good day of round track fun. Southside Speedway is a one-third mile paved oval with banked turns. We were able to make a faster and still safe course that challenged traction and the nerves of the contestants. Twenty-one racers took on the walled challenge of Southside Speedway, running six timed runs, and the entire field fit under the one minute time, a first for one of my courses. It was the same distance as usual, but we opened it up and it got a lot quicker. Safety wasn’t compromised, and we only had two heavy spins with immediate stops when the cars crossed that point of no return. I was happy with the different feel for the course because we always like new and different challenges, even if we only come to this site once a year. Well, we’ll start with FTD, fastest time of the day, and again Bobby Smith took top honors with his race-prepped 914. Bobby told us he was going to the Parade this year, and we’ll see how well he stacks up against those regulars from around the nation. I am looking forward to seeing how he places. Others had fun with the course, and the usual battle between Alex and Bryce came on again, with Alex prevailing again, but not by much. Bryce was an owner of one of those spins I had mentioned earlier, but I was impressed that he was as close as he was to Alex with only one event a year under his belt. Good job, Bryce, and good to see you out there again. Rick Kiser made it a bit late with his three-wheeled car trailer, but he managed to pound out a 4th overall and first in his class with his race GT3. Jeffrey Elmore has added a few more tricks to his 2000 Boxster S and it did well, moving up the food chain to 8th place. Jeffrey added exhaust, and it did change the power bands a bit, probably from the back pressure. The car has a trait that I love on all good cars, neutral handling and enough power to get in trouble, at least in and out of the turns. Paul Sponseller, driving his second autocross and at 77, our most “experienced” driver, is moving up the list, and unfortunately I heard him say he was conservative when he bought his Cayman and maybe should have considered the “S” version. Sorry about that Paul. Seat time will be the biggest help, but the extra 52 HP would not hurt either. Keep up the good work. Frank Ameri joined the fun for the first time and drove around his beautiful Black Cab. Mike Kilmer ran very well with a good time in his Targa, and John Kessler put down a very fast time with his daily driven 86 911. Here are the final results. Thanks to all of those who participated and a special thanks to Kerrigan Smith for course setup and help. Another successful day in Richmond, and a perfect close to a great weekend of fun, fellowship, and auto enthusiasm. Thanks everyone. P.S. Our second annual car-control clinic will be held July 13th. We will not be bringing out the timing gear and focusing on technical parts of the course and what you might run into in a Erik/Rick autocross. The focus will be on high-speed turns, hard braking, slalom rhythm, and putting it all together for a great run. We will have open dialog and lots of Q&A. If you are interested in autocrossing, have a spouse that has always wanted to try, but didn’t want to hold others up or be embarrassed, this is the even for you. Even if you have experience, you can always learn and add to your talent in an event like this. We even plan on putting together the skid pad again, or like some of you renamed it, the donut hole. Mark this on your calendar, it was a blast last year and should be again. Happy motoring, and keep your shiny side up. | |
FSR DE at VIR: A strong contingent of Shenandoah Region drivers showed up for the three-day (May 23–25) high-performance driver education (DE) event sponsored by the First Settlers Region (FSR) at the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) near Danville, VA. Except for a brief shower on the morning of the 24th, the driving weather was perfect. Jim Condon and Sherry Westfall shared their one Porsche, as did Greg and Susan McGee after her new Porsche was destroyed while being trailered on an interstate. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. David and Erin Israel have his-and-hers Porsches. Harry McGovern drove his 1977 targa in the green group, and Scott Leopold drove a 1996 993 GT1R in red. John Kessler came with the yellow 911 shown at the left. Steve Sarfaty’s cabriolet doesn’t have a roll bar, so he brought a BMW M5 to the event. Mel Brannan drove his white 964, and he was Sherry’s instructor. Both survived.
Spring Driving Tour: Bob and Joan Duntley led this April 19 event to Scotchtown and Hanover Tavern. The photo below is from page 6 of the May 2008 issue of The Heat Exchanger.
Phil Audibert completed more than six years of service as “harried editor” of The Heat Exchanger with the April 2008 issue. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stayed him from producing every issue on time, although the postal service didn’t always deliver them promptly. Even though the Shenandoah Region is a small one, The Heat Exchanger has far more extensive, informative, and interesting content than most regional newsletters, thanks to Phil’s efforts. The Heat Exchanger received two national awards for excellence while Phil was editor. Thank you, Phil!
The newsletter remains vital to the continued success of our region because it is the only medium that reaches all of our members. We welcome our enthusiastic new editor, Rebecca Morgan, and ask that you continue supporting The Heat Exchanger by sending her articles and photographs for future issues.
Zone 2 Driver Ed: PCA Zone 2 sponsored their annual three-day DE event on March 14–16 using the full course at the Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The weather was excellent except for a late-afternoon downpour on Saturday. Six drivers from the Shenandoah Region participated: Track junkies “Mad Mel” Brannan and Matt Einstein, new members Greg and Susan McGee (with his-and-hers Porsches), and Sherry Westfall and Jim Condon sharing their one Porsche in different run groups.
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