Shenandoah’s 17th annual RPM in Richmond came to a close Sunday, June 2, 2013 with the completion of a well attended Autocross at Southside Speedway. Let us back up a bit to reflect on the weekend and all that occurs to make all this happen.

Transparency, old to new, activities, cars, and most of all people.

Transparency: those unsung volunteer heroes we see and recognize whose tireless efforts make our annual RPM weekend enjoyable. Transparent in the sense their time and effort began long before the event and continued throughout the weekend. Kudos to all who worked in support of the entire weekend events. Special recognition goes to Alex Smith, the founder and coordinator who started RPM 17 years ago in his back yard. Without his efforts and vision, we would not have the great RPM we have today.

Old to new: From 356, 914, 944, 986, 987, 981, tribute cars, maybe even some others, and the new 991, the marque was well represented with over 90 cars participating. Wow, what a field of cars and a challenge for the Concours judges in selecting the cars to be recognized in each of the categories. Congratulations to each participant and thank you for allowing us the opportunity to view your cars. More than one conversation was overheard on the amount of time and preparation that was given for a proper “Tops Only” presentation. Porschephiles are serious about their Concours!

Activities: On Friday evening RPM kicked off with a visit to Dave’s Auto Spa so the exhibitors could put the finishing touches on their Porsches for Saturday’s Concours. Then people headed over to Euroclassics Porsche to look at Mark Cooke’s great selection of Porsches for sale and to socialize. The night ended with an enjoyable dinner at Belle Vie European Bistro, which was arranged by Shenandoah member Kevin Leonard.

Lunch at “Cafe Carrera” provided all with a great choice of food and beverage and an ample amount of time to wander the grounds and take that second look at some cars. Yep, and maybe some time to walk off a bit more food consumption than may have been planned. The afternoon opened up for the opportunity to do the “fun destination” drive with the carrot dangled for all of a stop for ice cream out in the country. The drive would culminate at Euroclassics in time for an excellent tech session presentation provided by Senior Porsche Tech Wayne Hall and Service Manager Chris Stone with the new 911, Cayman S, and an explanation of the new plug-in hybrid technology for the 2014 Porsche Cayenne.

Martin’s Grant Clubhouse was the “day ending” destination for dinner, awards, and an outstanding discussion by Hugh Heishman, who was accompanied by his wife Barbara. Hugh shared his entry into the world of Porsche and how he came to own a Porsche dealership. It is hard to comprehend in today’s world that a dealership would be awarded based on a conversation and fundamentally a gentlemen’s agreement, but that indeed happened to Hugh. Although the dealership was sold some years ago, Hugh continues to serve on the board of a bank and remains active in his community. The Gay Jewett People’s Choice Award, an award created in honor and remembrance of longtime Shenandoah member and treasurer Gay Jewett, was given to Dick Pitman for his beautifully restored 1961 356B. Here are the full concours results.

Here are more RPM photos from Friday and Saturday.

The weekend culminated on Sunday at Southside Speedway with the autocross on the one-third mile banked oval. The field of drivers grew to 29 which created some opportunities for Erik Boody & Rick Ebinger to ensure each of the participants would have ample track time and still remain on schedule. Problem solved with 2 groups, 3 runs each and repeat the process. Bobby Smith blew away the competition in his modified 1973 914 and captured Fastest Time of the Day (FTD) for yet another RPM. Here are the autocross results by time and by class.

More RPM autocross photos… Engelbert Muelhaupt made this video showing one of his autocross runs.

People: Nothing happens without a group of great people! Everyone who attended, all who participated in their chosen event or experience, our generous sponsors, and those volunteers who helped make this happen. Thanks to Alex Smith and the assistance of Sherry Westfall for organizing this special event. And a very sincere and special thanks to our hosts Tred Spratley & Janine Collins for allowing us to use their home and grounds for a successful RPM 2013.