SHENANDOAH REGION

New Member Event
2018-10-25 00:00 UTC | VA
By John Odden, Membership Chair
The Shenandoah Region hosted a New Member Event on October 7th at Hank and Jolly Weil’s home in Crozet. We had 24 in attendance and everyone had an outstanding time. All of the new members can now understand why we say, “It’s not just the cars, its the people!”
Ed and Donna Rehorn brought their 1974 914 Porsche. Kevin Sheets drove his gorgeous, newly purchased, graphite blue metallic 2018 Boxster. David Seidenfeld brought his father who was visiting from Pittsburg and thoroughly enjoyed the cars along with the great conversations (David’s Dad is a long time car lover). Everyone enjoyed meeting David and Amber Tyson who drove up from Scottsville.
Hank and Jolly’s neighbors were overwhelmed with the eye candy parked on both sides of the street. The food was catered by Smoked Taphouse & Kitchen which is now my favorite barbecue restaurant! Michelle Odden, always the team player, helped with the planning and food presentation which I could not have done without her. Many thanks to Hank and Jolly Weil for opening up their home and their wonderful hospitality.

SRPCA 23rd Anniversary and Summer Picnic
2018-09-18 08:00 - 17:00
By Marty Doherty
On Sunday, August 26, 50 Shenandoah Region PCA members gathered to celebrate the Club’s 23rd anniversary with a summer picnic at the Market at Grelen, in Somerset, VA. They came from Richmond and its environs, led by John and Michelle Odden and from Charlottesville and points west, led by Mark Doherty and John Pfaltz. The day was bright, the views were sensational, and it didn’t rain! To see a photo gallery covering this event, click here.
The program consisted of a Club Sponsor award presented to Mike and Ana Kilmer for the sponsor banners displayed during the Richmond Porsche Meet by Hank Weil, President. Mike received a plaque with a model of his Porsche! Three door prizes went to the following lucky attendees:

Tim Messer — an Xpel front bumper application for a Porsche, provided by Capital Autobahnd
Mike Kilmer — a gift certificate from Detailers Domain
John Pfaltz — a gift certificate to Note Bene Restaurant

This event also benefited the Feedmore Food Bank in Richmond and the Blue Ridge Food Bank in Charlottesville. The Club issued checks totaling $260, including a donation from Beverly McNeill.

IMSA Michelin GT Challenge and PorschePlatz at VIR
2018-08-23 08:00 - 2018-08-27 17:00
By Jim Condon
The top races of this multiday event at VIR took place on Sunday, August 19. As usual this summer, heavy rain was predicted, but all of the races were completed on a dry track. The PorschePlatz tent was set up on NASCAR Bend this year, not just after Turn 4 as before. Shenandoah Region members in attendance on Sunday included Cam & Lisa Abernethy, Kim Butcher, Jim Condon & Sherry Westfall, Howie Dunbrack, Michael Evans, Dan Graff, Steve McCaughan, John Odden, Dick Pitman, Alex Smith, Bill Speidell, Steve Upman, and Keith Welty. To see the photo gallery from this event, click here.
After the early morning practice session, the first race was the Porsche GT3 Cup (platinum), with best lap times about 1 minute, 49 seconds. Next up in the morning was the Lamborghini Super Trofeo. In the PorschePlatz, a representative from Michelin described their race tires, answered questions from the audience, and gave a set of tires to a lucky winner. Michael Levitas and the TPC racing team told us about their GT3 Cup efforts.
The Michelin GT Challenge ran from about 1 PM to 3:45 PM. Sherry Westfall and Dan Graff won passes to the Porsche pit area during the race, were given an explanatory tour of the pits, and got to watch Porsche GTLM car #912 come in for a pit stop. Dan made a short video of the pit stop; click on the arrow in the image below to play it.
Porsche #911 led the race from lap 32 to lap 40, when it caught fire at the top of the climbing esses and had to drop out. #912 driven by Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor finished fifth in GTLM, with best lap times 1 minute, 43 seconds. Patrick Long and Christina Neilsen drove the Porsche #58 car to second place in GTD with lap times as fast as 1 minute, 46 seconds.
Selected race results:
Porsche GT3 Cup (platinum), first place: Zacharie Robichon
Porsche GT3 Cup (platinum), second place: Trenton Estep
Porsche GT3 Cup (platinum), third place: Roman De Angelis
GTLM, first place: BMW #25
GTLM, fifth place: Porsche #912 driven by Earl Bamber & Laurens Vanthoor
GTLM, DNF–fire: Porsche #911 driven by Patrick Pilet & Nick Tandy
GTD, first place: Lexus #14
GTD, second place: Porsche #58 driven by Patrick Long & Christina Nielsen

The IMSA/WeatherTech Races and Porscheplatz at VIR
2018-05-18 08:00 - 2024-05-18 17:00
By Jim Condon
The IMSA/Weathertech races were the big events at VIR this year, on Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28. Click here to see the photo gallery that goes along with this article.
PCA Zone 2 sponsored the Porscheplatz tent on the hill overlooking Turn 4 and the adjacent Porsche Corral. This location provides a good track view and was perfect for watching the practice session on Saturday morning. See the photos of the Porsche GT3 cup winners Jesse Lazare (the winner in #21), Lucas Catania (second place in #26), and Jeff Mosing (Platinum Masters winner in car #01) practicing. The Platinum Masters class is for drivers age 45 and older. Factory-supported GTLM (the “pro” GT class) cars like the Porsche #912 often climb the very bumpy gators in Turn 4 in order to straighten and shorten the track. They probably replace a lot suspension parts after each race. Factory drivers also push the limits so hard that they frequently go off—see the Audi mowing grass coming out of the Hog Pen turn.
The Porscheplatz offered tours of the Alex Job Racing transporter and workshop to PCA members who signed up early on Saturday morning. We got to see them preparing their GTD-class GT3 RSR for Sunday afternoon’s enduro race and to ask questions about strategy. Most Porsche teams (even the sponsor Weathertech) skipped the GTD race because they were unhappy with the “balance of performance” handicap imposed on Porsches, which is intended to keep any one manufacturer from dominating the race series. The whole paddock was full of fast cars with spectacular paint jobs on full view of anyone who was willing to walk around.
Saturday afternoon was dominatd by the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSC) 2.5-hour endurance race. The qualifying cars were lined up in the hot pits for viewing by spectactors just prior to the race. The #33 Cayman GT4 clubsport driven by Danny Burkett & Marc Miller won the race, which started out in sunshine, had several restarts following incidents, and was hit by a monsoon in the middle. After a number of cars went off due to low visibility and high water on the track, the race was interrupted for almost an hour. See the photo of a mechanic waterskiing on a piece of plywood while being pulled through the paddock by a golf cart.
Sunday morning started with the Mazda MX-5 race. This “entry level” race was quite competitive and fun to watch. It was followed by the agressively driven Supertrofeo (SuperCup) race for angry-looking Lamborghinis. One unfortunate driver spun in NASCAR bend, overcorrected, and shot across the track into the Armco on the inside of the bend. The final event of the morning was the Porsche GT3 Cup race, which was won by Jesse Lazare. Many of us couldn’t watch the whole GT3 Cup race because we had to line up for the Porsche parade laps immediately following. During the noon break, Sherry Westfall got to ride in a new GT3 for one of the “hot laps” with a PCNA pro driver. These “hot laps” are fairly fast, but not quite as fast as Sherry driving her Cayman S in a DE.
The main event of the weekend was the GTLM (GT Le Mans for factory pro drivers) and GTD (GT Daytona for others) enduro race in the afternoon. In GTLM, the #3 Corvette won, followed by the #66 Ford GT and the #912 Porsche driven by Earl Bamber and Frederick Makowieski. Somehow the “Eco Boost” label on the side of the Ford GT doesn’t seem appropriate for a 600+ horsepower twin-turbo racer. The #911 Porsche was slowed down by several off-track excursions at South Bend. See the resulting grass-covered radiator grill, which must have caused an overheating problem until it was cleared. The only Porsche racing in GTD was the #23 GT3 RSR driven by Mario Farnbacher and Alex Riberas for Alex Job racing; it came in 5th in class. These annual races and the Porschplatz at VIR are quite an experience for Porsche fans and amateur racers, who get to see what the best teams and drivers can offer. Just be sure to bring your hearing protectors—it can get painfully loud!

Tech Session—Dorn's Body & Paint
2018-02-24 08:00 - 17:00
By John Odden
Barry Dorn, Vice President of Dorn’s Body & Paint greeted 16 Shenandoah Region members with coffee and a bountiful array of pastries for an introduction to the advanced elements of collision repair of premium vehicles. Dorn’s Body & Paint is one of two Porsche Factory Certified repair centers in Virginia and the only one in central Virginia. Dorn’s is also factory certified for Tesla, Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo. Factory certification requires extensive personnel training and a broad investment in equipment to meet manufacturer’s specifications.
To see the photo gallery from this event, click here.
We were presented with the complexities of working with the combination of a steel structure and aluminum panels. Due to galvanic action of dissimilar metals, the two materials cannot come in contact with each other. Very specialized bonding materials must be used to insure the two materials do not interact. With the increased government mandated mileage requirements of motor vehicles, the automobile manufacturers are using more aluminum to reduce weight and increase fuel economy. We learned that there are very few collision repair operations that have the ability to work with aluminum. An interesting point with aluminum is that it has no “memory” whereas steel has memory. Steel is inclined to resume its original stamped shape and aluminum does not. This makes repair of aluminum a very challenging undertaking.
We had the opportunity to view a current model Range Rover which is all aluminum including the frame rails. The vehicle had a front end collision which damaged the initial 18 inches of aluminum frame rail. The engine and transmission required removal to perform the repair. Dorn’s cut out the damaged portion and welded new aluminum frame rails to the existing frame. This required, in additional to aluminum welding, eight different factory specified rivets and a special bonding compound manufactured by 3M which is only available for purchase from the UK. The Range Rover was on a special jig to insure proper alignment of the frame. The repair cost for this vehicle was approximately $50,000.
All in attendance received a very detailed education on the sensors that current automobiles have. These include backup cameras, distance detectors, blind spot monitors, and adaptive cruise control. Barry Dorn, who is on many national collision-repair boards and councils, shared with us that the paint thickness is a critical component for these sensors to function properly after a repair. An additional layer of paint can make a sensor inoperable. Paint thickness is now a critical component to collision repair. The sensing safely systems in current automobiles are called ADAS, Advance Driver Assist Systems. After a collision repair, it requires twelve hours of calibration to recalibrate all of these safety systems. Porsche, Audi, Tesla, and Mercedes Benz are the leading manufacturers providing these advanced systems.
A common maintenance service to prolong tire life and reduce wear is a front-end alignment. Barry shared the common service provided is typically “toe and go”. The two other critical adjustments besides toe adjustment are castor and camber. Today’s cars monitor the steering angle through a Steering Angle Inclination Sensor. These sensors must be reset after each front-end alignment. Not having these important sensors reset to the new settings can cause a vehicle rollover in a crash-avoidance maneuver. How many shops actually address the Steering Inclination Sensor? Less than 1% have the equipment to perform this very important component of a front-end alignment.
We were treated to a delicious lunch from Panera Bread and our choice of YETI thermal mugs with the Dorn’s Body and Paint logo and Porsche Collision Repair Center embossed on them. Flow Porsche provided a beautiful 2018 metallic gray Porsche Panamera for us to view during our session at Dorn’s.

Tech Session at Automotive Aesthetic
2018-01-24 08:00 - 17:00
By Jim Condon
Daniel Wendell, the owner of Automotive Aesthetic in Charlottesville, opened his shop to a large contingent of Shenandoah PCA members and other “car guys” for a tech session on January 20. Daniel is a lifelong PCA member from a PCA family.
To see the photo gallery from this event, click here.
After gathering for coffee, donuts, and talk, we sat down and learned about detailing from Daniel. He covered the three stages of detailing: (1) decontamination, (2) rejuvenation, and (3) preservation. For decontamination (washing) he recommended the “three bucket” system. The first bucket is for wheels, which should be done first because they are usually the dirtiest part of the car. He uses special chemicals that attack the iron in brake dust, dissolving it into a red liquid that can be rinsed or wiped off with a soft brush. For washing the paint he uses separate “clean” and “dirty” buckets with plastic grids on the bottom where dirt can settle out. This reduces the chance of adding swirl marks to the paint by washing it with a dirty mitt. For drying he uses a blow dryer or a thick microfiber towel.
The second stage is rejuvenation — polishing, removing scratches, correcting paint flaws, etc. Knowing how to do this and having the right tools (e.g., orbital polishers, paint depth gauges) is important, and is often best left to the pros.
The third and final stage is protection, which can be anything from simple waxing to applying “glass” or “ceramic” coating to covering with plastic film. Daniel recommends carnuba wax primarily for show cars and garage queens because it is not very durable. He also applies Modesta glass coatings and plastic films. His takeaway message is that the skill of the person doing this work is critical.
After a question-and-answer session, Daniel demonstrated polishing on Steve Upman’s 911 Carrera. Daniel also rents garage space for people to store their cars. For example, Dave Lasch stores his recently restored 356SC there because he doesn’t have a suitable garage at home. The tech session concluded with pizza and drinks for all.

2017 Shenandoah Region Summer Picnic aka Anniversary Party
2017-08-22 08:00 - 17:00
By Hank Weil
Click here to see a gallery of photos from this event.
It has been 22 years since the Shenandoah Region of the Porsche Club of America (SRPCA) was founded on August 17, 1995. SRPCA was founded by Porsche enthusiasts in central Virginia who found it difficult to attend Porsche Club events owing to the distances to adjacent PCA Regions. The founding officers were Cole Scrogham (President), Terry Felts (Vice President), Dave Lasch (Secretary), and Steven Lord (Treasurer).
In late 1995, SRPCA had approximately 20 members and in August 1996 celebrated its first anniversary with a party and a birthday cake. After that, enthusiasm and events took off. The first annual Holiday Party at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville was so successful that the 1996 Holiday Party was booked before the 1995 Party was over. By the end of 1995, membership had more than doubled from 22 to 43 members. Fast forward to 2017; our Region has grown to approximately 260 primary members and 160 affiliate members.
The Anniversary Party became a tradition, held at different venues each year. The 2017 Anniversary Party (aka Summer Picnic) was held at the Keswick Winery. However, given SRPCA has grown in both members and events, continuing this event as the Anniversary Party became a bit overwhelming. Therefore, the current Executive Committee decided to hold the Anniversary Party only every 5 years and replace it in the other years with a Summer Picnic, which is why this year’s event at the Keswick Winery was a Summer Picnic.
A delicious lunch catered by Basil Mediterranean Bistro was accompanied with wine for sale from the Keswick Winery. The owner of the Basil Mediterranean Bistro, Raif Antar, graciously donated the food as he has done for many events; the $10 lunch charge was set aside for the Club’s 2017 charity fund. Charitable giving is now a major focus of SRPCA. In 2016, SRPCA changed from a taxable corporation to a non-profit tax status and has been approved by the IRS to operate as a 501(c)(4) exempt organization. SRPCA has chosen the Blue Ridge and Central Virginia Food Banks to be the 2017 charities. Attendance at this year’s Summer Picnic (88 primary members, affiliates and friends) put almost $900 into the 2017 charity fund.
The 2017 Summer Picnic concluded with the presentation of several awards to individuals for their service and contributions to SRPCA over the years. First recipient was Raif Antar, the owner of Basil Mediterranean, for his generosity of catering many of the Clubs activities both this year and in past years. The second recipient was Ben Briggs, a principal owner of PrintSource, for providing printing services for SRPCA’s RPM event, as well as other printing requirements over the years. The third recipient was Bill Sanders, a Past President, who has given his time to grow SRPCA and to prepare SRPCA’s annual tax returns. Bill and his wife, Jill, will be moving to Hawaii in the Fall and they will be missed.
Behind the scenes many volunteers ensured a successful event. For those members residing in the eastern portion of the Region, Randy Bell organized a “fun run” from the Manakin Sabot area to the Keswick Winery. Parking at the winery was handled by Jason Wavell and Shannon Kennedy to ensure that the members Porsches were properly parked. No door dings were allowed. Registration was aptly handled by Marquita Doherty and Jolly Weil. Mark Doherty assisted in setting up the picnic area. A great big THANK YOU goes to Katrina Stumpf for her work in finding the venue and working with the winery staff to ensure that the picnic was a success.
Wrapping up the picnic, Cole Scrogham (remember him? Founder and first President and still enjoying SRPCA after 22 years) provided a sneak preview of the 2017 Fall Fling that he and Alex Smith are planning for later this year. He also mentioned that the 2017 Picnic was a great Porsche social event. His enthusiasm was reaffirmed by many of the 88 participants who said that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Thanks again to all who attended and assisted in the administration of this event. Remember, “It’s not just the cars, it’s the people.” This was a great event and “Thank-you” to all who attended!!!

New Member Social
2017-07-14 08:00 - 17:00
By Bruce Russell
Shenandoah Region’s leadership team hosted a New Member Social on Saturday morning, July 8 at Euroclassics Porsche in Midlothian, VA. This social was not publicized on the Region’s website, but individual invitations were sent to all our new members who had joined PCA in the last 24 months. The management and staff of Euroclassics were very gracious hosts for this event. They had the showroom full of new Porsche models for us to climb into and admire, and they had a big screen HDTV which was televising live the qualifying sessions for the F1 Grand Prix of Austria. The Region provided the food and drinks; the food came from Wegman’s Catering and was excellent!
The only negative of the day was attendance from our invited new members. We invited 48 new members that had joined Shenandoah Region, and PCA, during the last two years. We had one new member attend this event. As a bit of background, Shenandoah Region is trying to strengthen our relationship with Euroclassics Porsche and we thought this social would be a nice gesture towards that goal. We did not expect a large turnout because we realize Euroclassics is located in the far eastern section of our region; we had expected more that one new member to attend.
I have been in PCA since 1986 and have been a member of seven different regions. One common trait that all regions experience is very low participation from new members. PCA leadership constantly struggles with the age old question — why? Why don’t we see more new members at our events? I have some ideas, because I can remember back to when I was a new member. We would like to hear from our new members. Tell us what you like and what you don’t like. Tell us what we can do to attract you to some Shenandoah events. My email is russell911@comcast.net. Seriously, I would like to hear from you.
In the meantime, there will be another New Member Social at Flow Porsche in Charlottesville on Saturday, August 19. Invitations to our new members will be going out soon, so watch your email. Hopefully, we will see you there!

Porsches & Pastrami Social
2017-07-04 08:00 - 17:00
By Bruce Russell
Shenandoah Region held one of its very popular Porsches & Pastrami social events on Sunday, June 11 at Dürty Nelly’s Pub in Charlottesville. We were again the guests of Gary Hagar; Gary is both a SRPCA member and the co-owner of Dürty Nelly’s. Gary drives a beautiful 968 coupe; most 968s are cabs, so Gary’s coupe is somewhat unique.
These Porsches & Pastrami social events are periodically held on Sundays throughout the year. Gary has been hosting them at Dürty Nelly’s for at least the last five years. I for one really enjoy these low-key social events where I can enjoy a great deli sandwich, salad, or homemade soup and socialize. I find this is a great time to meet new members and socialize with old friends.
Folks began to gather at the deli around noon. Gary already had his staff working in the kitchen, so the sumptuous “deli delights” were already being served when I arrived. My step-son Tim Mabes had joined me for this event; Tim lives in Alexandria and has a beautiful dark green 2010 Boxster.
SRPCA members came and went for the next couple of hours. All total, we probably had 20–25 members stop in for a bite to eat and to socialize. It was a warm late spring day, so we did not have to many members sitting outside on the patio. I found myself engaged in “Porsche-talk” at a table with Dan Graff, Bates McLain, Iain Fraser, Tim Mabes and a couple others. Our conversations covered a myriad of automotive topics.
One of the big topics of discussion was the recently held RPM event. The consensus was it was another successful multi-day event with kudos going out the Sherry Westfall for making it such a success. Around 2 pm, I bid my farewells and departed for home. I love these socials at Dürty Nelly’s; I just kick back and relax. Hope to see some more friendly faces next time! Check the Region calendar for specific dates.

Pickel Barrel Breakfast
2017-07-04 00:00
The Shenandoah Region PCA Board decided to have several casual Saturday Club breakfasts to increase the opportunity to meet with other Club members and enjoy talking about cars, Porsches, and anything else of interest. The second breakfast of 2017 was held at the Pickel Barrel Restaurant, 12912 Plaza Drive, Centerville, VA on June 17.
The Pickel Barrel had set aside three tables for about 24 members in a private room. The restaurant was packed and it was great to have our own space to meet and eat breakfast.
The event was designed to be a casual get-together to renew friendships, meet new members, and just sit and talk while enjoying a great breakfast. The initial turnout was smaller than expected and 10 Club members came out to meet and discuss our favorite topic, Porsches. We spent about two hours at the restaurant before leaving to get on with our day.
The next Club breakfast is scheduled for July 15 at the Tip Top Restaurant at 1420 Richmond Road. Charlottesville, VA at 9 AM.
We will be back at the Pickel Barrel on August 12 at 9 AM.
The Club wants to encourage new members to attend these breakfasts, as well as older members to meet with other Club members and renew old acquaintances. Come on out for a casual get-together and some good food and friendship. We hope to see you there!!!,

RPM Concours Judging Clinic
2017-05-27 08:00 - 17:00
By Jim Condon
This event, organized by RPM Chair Sherry Westfall, began with members meeting at Zion Crossroads for a short but scenic morning tour up to Gordonsville and then back down to Keswick, where Roger and Gail Borsink live. Roger opened his Porsche garage to us, where we could see his immaculate cars — a classic 993, a 996 turbo S with the X50 power package, and a shiny almost-new (just finished its 2000 mile breakin) 991 GT3 — in their pristine environment. His garage has all the conveniences needed for detailing and minor mechanical work, and the walls are decorated with car photos, advertisements, and illuminated signs sporting manufacturers’ logos. Click here to see the day’s photo gallery.
The official justification for this event (as if any were needed) is the 2017 RPM concours judging clinic, led by long-time Head Judge Dave Lasch. Dave explained that the RPM concours is “tops only,” meaning that judges do not look underneath the cars to see if the mufflers are rusty. However, the judges may ask owners to open compartments for inspection (e.g., trunk lid, gas cap cover, glove compartment,…). The areas being judged are listed in the five RPM concours judging sheets, which you can find by clicking here. Dave calls the RPM concours “family friendly” to distinguish it from much stricter concours like Amelia Island or Pebble Beach. The main judging criteria are cleanliness, condition, and care; period correctness is not required. At RPM, all cars in a given class (e.g., air-cooled 911 or Boxster/Cayman) will be judged by the same judging team (four judges doing the actual inspections, plus a team leader). The judging team gets to spend only five minutes looking at each car, so the individual judges can’t judge everything. They should pick a few items to inspect on all of their judged cars in order to treat them as consistently as possible.
If you would like to volunteer to be a Concours Judge, just email Dave at dlasch00@hotmail.com.
After the clinic, Roger gave a guided tour of his Porsche garage and three Porsches to a very interested audience, and he fielded a number of enthusiastic questions.
Finally, all good PCA events end with food. In this case, a great outdoor buffet lunch provided for free by member Raif Antar. If you liked what you ate, or wonder what you missed, visit his Basil Mediterranean Bistro in Charlottesville.

Crozet Car Show
2017-05-24 08:00 - 17:00
Bruce Russell
The 4th annual Crozet Car Show was held at Claudius Crozet Park on Saturday, May 20th. All the proceeds from the entry fees went to benefit the Crozet Park. We were blessed with great weather for the event. Shenandoah Region was well represented at this event. As a matter of fact, all entries into the “Foreign” class were Shenandoah members’ Porsches!
Some of the Shenandoah members in attendance were Hank Weil, Mark Doherty, Rick Ebinger, Bruce Russell, Jeff Elmore, Iain Frazer, Eric Huggins, Johnny Johnson, Jeff & Linda Sivers, Steve Upman, Tim Messer, Jason Wavell, and Peter Chapin. Not all the members attending displayed their cars, but we did have nine beautiful Porsches that were on display.
The show had eight classes of cars. The “judging” was done by the show entrants. Each entrant received a ballot and could cast a vote for one car in each class. Seven of the classes covered American muscle cars, antiques, and motorcycles. There was one “Foreign” class.
Once all the ballots were collected and tallied, the winners were announced and “piston” trophies were presented to each class winner. The “Foreign” class was won by our president, Hank Weil! Hank brought his beautiful 1985 911 “Turbo Look” Carrera: it’s a beauty! A good time was had by all attendees. Click here to see Bruce’s photos from the event.

Tip Top Breakfast
2017-05-11 08:00 - 17:00
By Hank Weil
The Shenandoah Region PCA Board decided to have several casual Saturday Club breakfasts to increase the opportunity to meet with other Club members and enjoy talking about cars, Porsches, and anything else of interest. The first breakfast of 2017 was held at the Tip Top Restaurant, 1420 Richmond Road, Charlottesville, VA on May 6. The weather was a bit ominous and probably kept a few members from taking out their Porsches.
Our host, Club member and owner of the Tip Top, Terry Vassalos, had set aside two tables for 20 members. The restaurant was packed and it was great to have our own space to meet and eat breakfast. The event was designed to be a casual get-together to renew friendships, meet new members, and just sit and talk while enjoying a great breakfast. The initial turnout was good. There were 14 Club members who came out to meet and discuss our favorite topic, Porsches. We all spent about 90 minutes at the restaurant before leaving to get on with our respective Saturdays.
The next Club breakfast is scheduled for June 17 at the Pickle Barrel at 12912 Plaza Drive in Centerville, VA at 9 AM. We will be back at the Tip Top on July 15. Come on out for a casual get-together and some good food and friendship.

Euroclassics 2016 Columbus Day DE at VIR
2016-12-31 08:00 - 17:00
The 2016 Euroclassics Columbus Day (October 10) DE at VIR was covered by professional track photographer Art of F & S Enterprises. Click here to see some of his photos.

2016 Holiday Party Reflections
2016-12-18 08:00 - 17:00
Jim Kaczorowski
Most members in the Shenandoah Region have been to Michie Tavern at some point in their lives, but it is hard to beat the camaraderie and warmth of our annual Holiday Party held on December 4. A hearty fire, greetings from close to 80 old friends and new, and even a Museum tour complimented a generous cocktail hour. Traditions continued as host and Porsche owner Sam Morris provided a history of the tavern followed by an overview of the always delicious Southern fare.
After ‘seconds’ by a few hungry patrons, the formal part of the program began over coffee or tea and peach cobbler a la mode. Our new President Hank Weil and Co-Vice Presidents Randy Bell and Mark Doherty and continuing Secretary Lynne Taylor and Treasurer Carey were welcomed by retiring president Clint Shuler. An awards ceremony followed, which included presentations for a number of autocross competitors. Autocross Co-chair Rick Ebinger cited the avid participation of a record number of 27 ladies this year. Improved Class winners Jeffrey Elmore and Jonathan Newhall tied for fastest overall autocrosser. This year Rick and Co-chair Erik Boody created unique wooden awards with a silver dollar embedded in each. Not to be overlooked was the annual drawing for Porsche memorabilia prizes which provided just about everyone in attendance with a desirable remembrance.
To give you an idea of the abundant cheer, no one other than (wife) Anne had a bigger surprise than when she found out that sitting across from her at our dinner table was a young man, Jonathan Newhall, whom she taught in first grade many [many] years ago in the Valley…who wants to give odds on that happening again next year? The year has certainly brought us all we could have wished for – and more. So we hope it was the same for you and yours as we look forward to seeing each of you behind the wheel in 2017. Click here to see photos from the 2016 Holiday Party.

Shenandoah Region 2017–2018 Board Election Results
2016-12-01 08:00 - 17:00
Jim Condon, election committee chairman
The votes received during the November 15–28 balloting period have been counted. The Election Committee (Jim Condon, Gary Hagar, and Deane Parker) congratulates the newly elected 2017–2018 Shenandoah Region Board of Directors:
President: Hank Weil
Vice President: Randy Bell
Vice President: Mark Doherty
Secretary: Lynne Taylor
Treasurer: Carey Lockhart

President: Hank Weil of Crozet, VA
It is an honor to have been elected to be the President of the Shenandoah Region. Jolly and I moved to Crozet two and a half years ago and built our retirement home in Old Trail. I spent 35 years working for Tenneco and have had the opportunity to live in many towns in the United States. I first joined PCA in 1970. I sold our 914-6 in 1975 when I began working toward an MBA. I did not acquire another Porsche until all three of our children graduated from college. We purchased our 1994 Speedster in 2000 while living in Illinois. I was a member of the Chicago Region for 14 years and served seven years as the Chicago Region Concours Co-Chairman. I have attended 12 Parades since rejoining PCA in 2000. I transferred to the Shenandoah Region in July 2014. I am currently the Membership Chair and have had the opportunity to meet many of the Shenandoah Region Members over the last two and a half years. I look forward to continuing to grow the Region, listening and learning from our members, and getting more members involved in planning and participating in Region and Club activities. I value the great memories and lifelong friends I have made as a member of PCA.

Vice President: Randy Bell of Richmond, VA
Randolph (Randy) Bell has been a member of the PCA’s Shenandoah Region since 2011. He has been a volunteer at several Richmond Porsche Meets and has designed and led several countryside rallies.
Randy is an enthusiastic Porsche owner and an avid student of all things Porsche. He is a member of the Drivers’ Club at Dominion Raceway, where there are always numerous and diverse Porsches on hand. His own car is a 2011 Boxster Spyder extensively modified by TPC Racing, which he treasures enough to know that it deserves a much better driver. Randy has attended the Porsche Sport Driving School at Barber Raceway and the Bertil Roos three-day Racing School. He wishes more of the instruction had taken, but he has learned enough to know that there is not much that is better in life than mastering turns and techniques on a track in our special cars.
Randy attended the College of William and Mary and Cambridge University before entering the U.S. Foreign Service, from which he and his wife Karla retired to Church Hill in Richmond. They have one son, LCDR Christopher Bell, a Naval Aviator.

Vice President: Mark Doherty of Charlottesville, VA
Mark has been a member of the Shenandoah PCA for 15 years. He currently serves as the Tour Chair and has served as the Nominations Chair. Over the years, he has enjoyed — for the most part — working on/ driving/ restoring cars including TR-3s, MGAs, a MK IX, and an E-type Jaguar, prior to attaining automotive enlightenment with the purchase of his first Porsche in 2001. Since then five Porsches have graced his garage, including currently a ’14 Carrera S and a ’16 Macan S — the pride and joy of his wife Marty. Both he and Marty have been active in the region as participants in many touring and social activities, tour planning, and other volunteer work. He has also participated in the ’16 SRPCA annual planning meeting and two Zone 2 Presidents meetings. Both he and Marty are recently retired from UVa and are actively engaged in community and local volunteerism. Other activities include motorcycling, travel, scale modeling, and diorama building.

Secretary: Lynne Taylor of Crozet, VA
Lynne is a veterinarian who works in public health. She has been a PCA member since 1981 in the First Settlers, Maverick, Peachstate, and Shenandoah regions. She has owned four 914s, two 911s, and now owns a Boxster. After completing a Bondurant performance-driving course, she enjoyed competing in autocross and track events (especially Road Atlanta) and currently enjoys touring scenic Virginia. Other interests include riding her two horses, playing flute, riding motorcycles and bicycles, hiking, and running. Lynne will be serving her third term as Secretary of Shenandoah.

Treasurer: Carey Lockhart of Midlothian, VA
Carey is married and has two daughters. He is a licensed CPA and is controller for Markel/Eagle Partners, LLC in Glen Allen. He has been a PCA member since 1995 and has owned Porsches since 1990. His favorite Porsche activities are our Richmond Porsche Meet (RPM) and social and technical events. In addition to his passion for Porsches, Carey enjoys old British cars (He has a 1959 TR-3.), running, photography, and football, especially rooting for LSU and the New Orleans Saints. Carey will be serving his third term as Treasurer of Shenandoah.

The Shenandoah Region's 21st Birthday Party
2016-08-29 08:00 - 17:00
By Jim Condon
The Shenandoah Region PCA turned 21 this year! To celebrate, Beverly McNeill proposed we get together on August 8 at Stevenson Ridge near Fredericksburg. She brought the two birthday cakes and organized the event with the help of Clint Shuler. The Stevenson Ridge property covers 87 acres and has a lodge with a large dining room plus a number of restored private buildings that can be rented for getaways. In the woods behind the building complex there are old earthworks remaining from the Civil War. The owners are Dan and Debbie Spears, and the managing partner is their daughter, Debbie Mackowski. Dan is also a Porschephile with several older Porsches undergoing restoration in his garage. Click here to see photos from this event.
The buffet lunch concluded with birthday cake and ice cream. When we left the lodge, we were surprised to see a genuine Bugatti Veryon in the driveway. This Volkswagen on steroids is powered by a 1200 hp 8 liter VW engine with 16 cylinders in a W-shaped (double V) configuration boosted by 4 turbos. It reaches 150 mph in 10 seconds from a standing start, and its top speed is supposedly 250+ mph, for those who can find a place to drive that fast. Needless to say, if you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it.

The 2016 Zone 2 Club Race and Advanced DE at VIR
2016-05-06 08:00 - 17:00
Jim Condon
Zone 2 sponsored a combination PCA club race and advanced DE at VIR over the weekend of June 24 through 26, 2016. Nine members of the Shenandoah Region drove in the advanced DE, which is open to experienced solo drivers in the white, black, and red run groups. They were Jim Condon (2007 Cayman S), Randy Copeland (2014 991 Turbo S), David Israel (996 GT3), Erin Israel (race-prepared 993), John Kessler (1971 911), Emmett Richardson (2016 Cayman GT4), Clint Shuler (2009 Cayman S), Bill Speidell (Cayman GT4), and Sherry Westfall (2007 Cayman S). Click here to see the photo gallery of this event.
A few exotic cars usually show up in the advanced DE, and this year was no exception, with two DP cars, an “improved” Cobra, and a NASCAR-style Mustang.
There were three race groups as well: the new Cayman GT4 Clubsport class had its own separate race. All of the faster PCA classes raced together, and all of the slower PCA classes also raced together. There was a fair bit of carnage in the GT4 qualifying sessions as drivers got used to their new cars, so three GT4s failed to start the race itself.

Porsches & Pastrami: Concours Judging Clinic & Automotive Aesthetic Tech Session
2016-05-05 08:00 - 17:00
I’m what you call a Noob. I have only been in the Porsche Club for about two years. So compared to other members I’m a big time Noob. I have been around Porsches my whole life as my father always had at least one and we lived in Germany (I am an Army brat and proud of it!). One of the first events I ever attended as an official club member was Shenandoah’s Porsches & Pastrami at Dürty Nelly’s Pub in Charlottesville in 2015. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect and got there early to learn about Concourse Judging. I learned so much that I was able to be a judge at the 2015 RPM using the knowledge that I gained. I judged engines and learned even more about Porsche engines at the meet from other judges as we discussed the different cars, an amazing experience.
Fast forward to 2016 Porsches and Pastrami. (Click here to see the photo gallery covering this event.) Again, I have to say it was another event that I’m so happy I attended because of the Porsche education that I get from all the friendly members. It opened again with the Concourse Clinic, but I mostly floated around and looked at beautiful cars and met new people like Mike Higgins, who was attending his first Porsches & Pastrami. Again I picked up so many tips from the non-noob members. For instance, I got advice on where to send my Fuchs for restoration—Harvey Weidman of Weidman’s Wheels was the recommendation. Everyone there is either in the middle of a Porsche project or has done many already and has a plethora of information to share if you just ask. It really helps you to avoid mistakes that can be expensive. Water cooled and air cooled cars were both well represented and lunch was great. This year I got the Hot Sicilian (Don’t let the college pub reputation of Dürty Nelly’s fool you; this joint makes an awesome sandwich, oh, and they have beer!) I had a fantastic time chatting with members about their cars and picking up tips about restoration from wheels to interior. Shenandoah PCA has amazing members like Sherry Westfall and her husband Jim Condon that make me look forward to every event.
The second part of Porsches & Pastrami’s activities was a detailing clinic at Automotive Aesthetic with Daniel Wendell and Daniel Offield of Clear Detail in Richmond. You think “What can I learn about washing my car? That is stupid!” You would be wrong as I learned in the first 5 seconds to use two buckets when you wash. One for soaping your Microfiber wash mit and the other for rinsing it after you have washed a panel. Another tip I learned in the first 10 seconds was DON’T “Wax on wax off Danielson!” Never make circular motions, wipe your car panels in long straight strokes. Most of the scratches, swirl marks and hazing comes from washing. Sigh, I have been messing my cars up for years. They used two product lines at the clinic—the first GTechnic, the other Swissvax—and again advising us amateurs to use longitudinal application. These products are only available on line, but I will be purchasing some for myself, especially that GTechnic wheel cleaner, Iron and General Fallout Remover. (Luckily GTechnic will not sell you the products that can really screw up your paint, you have to be a licensed detailer to get those, so order away and go crazy!) I did ask the detailers some tough questions, for instance “How much does it cost to get my paint corrected?” The Daniels were very honest and explained it in hours. It depends on how bad your paint is and how many hours they believe it would take for them to correct the issues. The other factor is the customer’s ultimate goal. A perfect looking car to you and me is not the same as a car being prepared for Pebble Beach. They demonstrated washing, drying, and paint correction. They gave us tips about products from clay bars to microfiber towels. It was extremely educational. Both Automotive Aesthetic in Charlottesville and Clear Detail in Richmond offer a wide variety of services beyond cleaning, so please go to their websites linked above and check them out.
The event was well planned and executed. Lunch and comradery at Dürty Nelly’s was great, and I have to say that I also enjoyed the refreshments and noshes at the detailing clinic. If you haven’t made it out to one of these yet you are really missing out. I’m already looking forward to next year!

Dominion Raceway Tour
2016-05-01 08:00 - 17:00
The Dominion Raceway & Entertainment complex combines a 4/10 mile banked oval, a 1/8 mile drag strip, a festival concert venue, and a 2 mile road course in a single facility just off I-95 in Thornburg, VA. The oval recently opened, and the rest is still under construction. To see the photo gallery covering this tour and the raceway complex, click here.
Randy Bell led our April 16 driving tour in his Boxster Spyder. Randy is member number one of the Dominion Raceway driving club, which is conveniently located close to his home. When we arrived at Dominion Raceway, there was a long line of racers waiting to sign up for the oval-track race scheduled for that evening. Some of us drove around the line and parked along the pit-out area of the road course, while others parked beside the entrance road and walked to the main building.
The director of the driving club, Jim Lorimer, took us to the roof for a bird’s eye view so we could easily see the oval and most of the road course. The 2700-foot front straight passes beside the main building and ends in a left turn named after the nearby Po river. As we watched, the base layer of the front straight was being patched to repair damage caused by the wet winter weather. The road course is 36 feet wide everywhere, has 12 turns, and has 70 feet of elevation change. It is driven counterclockwise and passes under the bridge in the photo above.
We ate lunch in the main building, and co-owner Steve Britt explained the planned operation of Dominion Raceway. Free passes to the evening’s oval race were offered to those who could stay, but most of us had to head home during the afternoon.
The PCA First Settlers Region (FSR) planned a DE for the weekend of April 30 and May 1, but that DE had to be canceled because the road course was not ready in time. Their next DE at Dominion Raceway is scheduled for July 9 and 10.

Euroclassics Porsche Launches the New 911
2016-04-26 08:00 - 17:00
Jim Condon
Euroclassics Porsche held their “New 911” launch event at Beecroft & Bull in Richmond on the evening of April 14. Click here to see the photo gallery covering this event. The weather was perfect, Porsches old and new filled the parking lot, and three New 911’s (a.k.a. 991.2’s) were in a tent next to the Beecroft and Bull store. Last but not least, drinks and food were served inside the tent.
Emmett Richardson’s new GT4 was parked in front of the tent. After it is broken in, it will no doubt be passing a lot of cars in upcoming DEs at VIR. Nearby were two even faster Porsches: a Carrera GT and a new 991 GT3 RS. Although it is normally aspirated, it has the turbo-like air intakes just in front of the rear wheels, and it also has conspicuous cooling vents above the front wheels.
Three 991.2’s were unveiled: a gray targa, a black coupe, and a white cab. The biggest visual cue differentiating them from the 991.1’s is the vertically striped engine grill with a red brake light bar along the top. Under the grill is a 3 liter turbo engine, but only the air intake and two cooling fans are visible.
After the unveiling, door prizes were given out inside the Beecroft and Bull store, including prepaid Porsche Driving Experiences at the new Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. One of the two winners was a happy Sherry Westfall.
