RPM Concours Judging Clinic

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.