Ben Davoren
President
November 2021 President’s Message
Our October events were a blast, with a hundred-mile rally, a fifty mile tour to the Annual Meeting, and a weekend of Autocross providing fun across the board. See this month's articles for more details!
November brings us the Region election and several events that I hope will bring out those of you who have thought about joining us on a driving adventure, but have worried that it might be too competitive or focused on performance driving for your taste. On Saturday November 20th, we will have our first "gimmick rally" the Picture Perfect Rally ( registration is open), put together by Past President Craig Steele. Any Porsche is equally advantaged as it is about observation and creativity not speed! See Jim Robison's article below for more (and a teaser about his Two Lake Rally December 4).
On Sunday November 21st we will have a year-end Autocross event at Sonoma Raceway, but this will be a low-cost, low-key event especially oriented towards new drivers or anyone who is "AX-curious." Just ten dollars for first-timers! We have new loaner helmets and friendly helpers to help you enjoy your experience. Registration is open. Please come check it out!
On Tuesday November 30th we have our annual Planning Meeting. This is one of two ways in which you can really contribute to the club's future. Bring your ideas, or just come to hear about the types of events we plan for 2022 at Mary's Pizza Shack in Novato at 7 PM. Dinner is always on the club - you just pay for your drink (Zoom will also available). Please see our calendar link at redwoodpca.org for details.
The other way you can contribute is to consider running for a Board Member position. We are seeking candidates for Secretary and Treasurer on our Executive Council. Please reach out to me directly if you would like to know more about these positions and how much fun our Board meetings are. We will be sending out a ballot to elect our 2022 leadership positions before the end of November, with results tallied before our fantastic Holiday Party on December 11th at the Sally Tomatoes venue in Rohnert Park.
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Annual Members' Meeting and Drive |
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Our small cheery band of drivers departed under partly sunny skies from Novato, but soon the clouds crowded in trying to dampen our enthusiasm. President Ben Davoren led and Secretary Rick Duste drove sweep. The slightly wet roads didn't deter us one bit. The clouds and mist were perfect for Hallowe'en. Unfortunately, they did obscure what are usually quite spectacular views off either side of Barnett Valley road at the top of the ridge.
We'll just have to go back on a sunny day.
We pulled up the small side road to the entrance to the parking lot behind the Occidental Hotel and discovered it to be blocked, necessitating some clever Porsche choreography to dance around each other in the narrow space. Porsche turning radii rule!
The warm and welcoming staff at the Hotel led us to our private banquet room in the back. We entered to find several cozily-ensconced, smiling faced members that had skipped the run leg of the morning, including Simone Kopitzski, Zone 7 Concours rep. The food was hearty and plentiful. Several new members attended.
President Ben Davoren gave his "State of the Club" address as well as the financial report, and passed out hard copies of both. (Treasurer Vern Rogers was unable to attend due to being in the middle of dealing with managing multiple houses.) Jeff Hall, soon to be sponsorship coordinator, spoke about both sponsors and upcoming rallies. Past President Craig Steele talked about our first time "gimmick rally" which he designed.
We all had a good time and came away full and informed.
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Ben Davoren, Kurt Fischer, Craig Steele, Rick Duste, Jeff Hall, Sandy Steele, Elias Olson, Kathleen Smith and Bernadette
Photo and article by Lisa Davoren
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Don Krieger
Redwood Region Member
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After spending a few weeks on the road both before and after this year's Scottsdale Treffen, my wife, Carrie and I needed to get out once again. This trip would be only a little over a week, but it included some great sites and even more spectacular driving roads.
We left at the end of September and headed to Southern California. Our first day's stop was at Pinnacles National Park in Soledad, taking the west entrance and hiking the Balcony Cave Loop. We spent the night in Paso Robles before heading further south, having a quick bite at Twisted and Glazed Donuts. Continuing on Highway 101, then on 154 to 192 (which lets you see some of the beautiful homes in Montecito), we had lunch in Ojai. Working our way over to the Pacific Coast Highway, we stopped at Will Rogers State Park and spent the night in Santa Monica. The road then took us to San Diego, stopping at the Wayfarer's Chapel in Rancho Palos Verde, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son. We also went on a hike in the Torrey Pines State Reserve and then spent the night in the San Diego Old Town area. Touring Balboa Park nearby, we visited the both the San Diego Automotive and the Air & Space Museums.
Traveling through the towns of Ramona and Santa Ysabel the next morning, we spent a few days in Julian the site of an 1870's gold rush. The town is also a big apple-growing area and famous for their pies. A stop at the Julian Pie Co. is a must. Even though the line was long to get in, it was definitely worth the wait. The next morning, we began a great 23.8 mile drive taking a scenic byway known as the Sunrise Highway. Staying the next night at Big Bear Lake, we first travelled to the Boucher Hill fire lookout station in Mt. Palomar State Park north of Julian and then drove on the Rim Of The World Scenic Byway. An even more spectacular drive the following morning was the Angeles Crest Highway on our way to Pasadena. The Huntington Museum is a must stop here. Eight days and 1829 miles later, after spending a night in Santa Cruz, we made it back home to Sea Ranch.
A great trip with a lot of great driving.
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On the way home from Scottsdale Treffen |
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Boucher Hill Fire Lookout Station |
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Stacy O'Connell
Autocross Co-Chair
For a region without an official autocross site, we've had a fair number of events this season and one more to go this month!
As Ben mentions above, we want to get some Redwoodies out to the paddock of Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, November 21 for a fun, much lower cost autocross event targeted towards newbies or the curious or those who love autocross but haven't been to one of our events in a while.
Registration is now open on MSR, and at just 10 bucks for newbie – it's a great opportunity to drive your car the way it wants to be driven! We've got loaner helmets, instructors, a fun course, and we're ready to show you how it's done.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email.
Speaking of fun events, we wrapped up our Zone 7 weekend with sister club, SVR, in October. Congrats to Steve Lau for his TTOD win and to co-chair Drew Powers for getting top PAX for the day. Full results can be found on our website.
GGR member RJ Harrison has one of the coolest camera setups on his 911 to capture each of his runs and here's his best from the day. If this video gets your heart racing –come join us on the 21st at Sonoma! Register today! No fancy camera set up required and you don't need to drive as well at RJ, either!
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Bobby Cole
New Redwood Member
I was introduced to new member Bobby Cole at the annual meeting, and he graciously agreed to be interviewed for this month's column.
What kind of Porsche do you drive?
I drive a 2018 GT3 in silver.
What is your favorite thing about your car?
Well this is going to sound silly...there are soo many wonderful things to find enjoyable: the lightening fast PDK shifts, the superlative handling, the sound of the engine is music... but mostly recently driving in the rain, I am tickled by the ability to adjust the interval and speed on the intermittent setting of the windshield wipers. I've never had that on any of my other cars. I also especially enjoy the howl that emanates when shifting in the higher rev range.
Is this your first Porsche?
No, but first some backstory. When I was growing up in Tiburon, my neighbor had a beautiful '57 Speedster in green with beige. He was a senior and I was a freshman and occasionally he would drive me to Redwood High School. On the way there was a wide sweeping turn to get off 101. He showed me how he could hold the steering wheel with one hand and manipulate the throttle to make the nose go in and out. I was raised in an auto industry family as my family had dealerships, but this was brand new to me. It opened my eyes to the steering geometry of a rear engine car. I had a lot of driving experience, but with Chryslers, Lincolns and Plymouths...
When I graduated, my grandmother had given me some money, and I had a friend who needed to sell his black V12 Ferrari Burano coupe with a red and black interior. I brought it home, and my Dad had a fit! I eventually sold that and bought a Porsche 911 SC.That was my first one.
How that came about is another interesting story. Because I was on of the guys who started KMEL, I became involved with a lot of Rock and Roll bands like Santana and Journey. I was friendly with Herbie Herbert, the manager of Journey, and one day he called me and said, "We're buying a bunch of Porsches in a fleet deal. You want in?" I said, "Yes, definitely." So I went over to the dealer on Van Ness and ordered a beautiful brown 911 SC with champagne interior. We went down in a van with the whole band to pick up the cars! I had that car for 9 years. I loved it!
What would you like people to know about you?
Despite my high profile career, I prefer to stay out of the spotlight. I prefer to stay behind the camera or microphone, not in front of it.
Sounds to me like he prefers to be behind the wheel!
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Collin Fat
Zone 7 Representative
Getting Involved with your Club:
There is a saying among long time PCA members that only about 20% of their region membership participate in club activities and even less volunteer to chair an event or consider serving on the board. This is quite unfortunate as it puts the burden of running the club on just a few dedicated members to run and plan the operations of the club year in and year out. I am reaching out to active members who have participated in club activities and found them a lot of fun and have experienced the sharing of a common passion for the Porsche brand. If you have the time and enjoy the types of activities and events the club organizes, then step up and help-out. Imagine what your club would be like without a board or volunteers to organize tours, tech sessions, a concours, or driver education event: kind of boring and not the reason you joined the club in the first place. I assume you joined because of all the good things you have heard about regarding membership. If you would like these types of events and activities to continue, consider volunteering. With many clubs scheduling their annual planning meetings in the coming months, it is a perfect time to contact your club president or activities director about volunteering. Think about organizing a dinner at your favorite restaurant or organizing a tour on your favorite back country road.
Zone 7 Concours Series Date Changes
The final 2 concours of the season were originally planned by Golden Gate Region on October 24th and Loma Prieta Region on November 7th. Due to weather related issues surrounding the October event, it has now been re-scheduled for November 7th while Loma Prieta Region has now rescheduled their event to November 14th. Registration for both events is now open. For more information please visit zone7.pca.org.
Diablo Region hosted their annual concours at Porsche Fremont on October 17th and had a nearly record turnout with over 33 judged cars and some 27 cars on display. Event chair, Marc Giammona and his crew were very organized and the event was conducted with no hitches. I believe the competition was close in all classes with 1 car being judged in the full concours class, 14 in street, 9 in touring, and 8 cars in the full concours class. Visit the Zone 7 website at https://zone7.pca.org/. for the most current series standings.
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Zone 7 Concours Series Calendar
Date Region Location
November 7th Golden Gate Region Porsche Redwood City
November 14th Loma Prieta Region Porsche Livermore
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Zone 7 Autocross Series Update
The Zone 7 Autocross series concluded with a 2 day weekend at Thunderhill Raceway Park on October 16th and 17th with Sacramento Valley hosting 63 drivers on Saturday and Redwood Region hosting some 46 drivers. The weather over the weekend was fantastic with temperatures in the mid 80’s on Saturday and in the 70’s on Sunday. There was a buffet dinner arranged on Saturday evening following the autocross and 29 drivers dined together and had an opportunity to do some bench racing based on the day’s activities.
For Saturday, it was quite a competitive event in almost all classes with Tara Shapowal taking the top time of day with a blazing 39.45 followed closely by Steve Lau, 39.911, Monty Pack, 40.792, RJ Harrison, 42.165 and Drew Powers, 42.332. Results are available on the Sacramento Valley Region website under the autocross tab.
Redwood Region results can be found here.
It was an appropriate ending to an incredible season that was faced challenges almost every month related to Covid restrictions or with date changes imposed by the facilities. A sincere thank you goes to Himanshu Patel, Ed Hunter of Golden Gate Region, Grady Carter, Zone 7 Ax Chair, John Leet, Sacramento Valley Region, Drew Powers and Stacy O’Connell, Redwood Region for their tireless efforts to make autocross a huge success in Zone 7. See below for an update on the Zone AX Awards banquet.
For 2021 final standings in the Zone 7 Autocross Series visit the Zone 7 website to see who are the current class as well as PAX leaders or go to the Zone 7 Website.
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2021 Zone 7 Annual Awards
The annual Zone Awards Banquet has generally been held in November prior to the holidays but has also been held in conjunction with the annual Zone presidents meeting in late February or early March. Due to the rescheduling of several concours events in November and the lead time necessary to order the trophies the awards banquet will now be held in early March in conjunction with the annual Zone presidents meeting. Please watch this column for further updates on date and location.
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2022 Shasta Region Zone 7 Tour
The 2022 Shasta Region Zone 7 Tour will have Open Registration on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 7:00 am. The Tour is limited to 54 Porsches, so it is expected to "Sell Out" rapidly.
The following is suggested:
· Registration is through MotorSportReg.com, so if you don't already have an account set up with them, you might consider doing so in advance--it will save time when registering for the Tour.
· This is a "private" event, so you can only find the Zone 7 Tour by use of a "hyperlink" that you find below. (ONLY ZONE 7 MEMBERS RECEIVE THIS EMAIL WITH THE LINK, so don't share it with other Zone Members.) .
· Sign up early on the 1st, if you wish to obtain a spot on the Tour. If it fills up, a Waitlist will be created, for possible cancellations.
If you have questions, there is a direct link to the Organizer's email is on the MSR Webpage.
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Events of Interest
PCA Spring Treffen at the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 27-May 1, 2022
Parade 2022 at Kahalari Resort Poconos, Pennsylvania June 12-18th
Note: Treffens historically sell out in as little as one hour due to their popularity. Registration for the Treffens typically opens 3-4 months prior to the event.
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Photos by Simone Kopitzky, John Leet, and Collin Fat
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Jim Robison
Rally Director
Congratulations to the winners of our Oktoberfest Rally, held on Saturday, October 9th and rallymastered by Jeff Hall. First place went to Gary and Lynda Bayless (Car 12) in their 1998 Boxster with a score of 2178. Jerry and Renee Wachtel (Car 4) took second place in their 2004 Carrera C4S, with a score of 2768. Third place went to Jason Polites and Kamesh Chivukula (Car 10) in a 2019 911 GTS, with a score of 2857. James and Lisa Mazza (Car 2) took fourth with 2993 points, followed closely by Bill Switzer and Deena McConnell (Car 6) just 25 seconds behind, with 3018. The scores for this time-speed-distance, TSD, rally are the absolute checkpoint arrival time errors in seconds. Arriving early at one checkpoint does not compensate for arriving late at another.
Car 4 got the only zero of the day on CP 5; congratulations to Jerry and Renee. Other single-digit scores include Car 12 with a 2 (seconds/points) on CP 3 and a 3 on CP2. Car 2 got a 4 on CP 2, and Car 6 got a 7 on CP 3. Car 12 had 7 double digit scores, out of 14 scored checkpoints, Cars 4 and 10 each had 4 double digits, Car 2 had 3 and Car 6 had 2. All teams were looking good out of checkpoint 7, but then we hit checkpoint 8, where all cars received a max 300 late, and only Car 12 was able to recover and get less than a max on any of the remaining six checkpoints. So, what happened?
We investigated both our spreadsheet calculating and the expected times we loaded into the Richta GPS app. No problems were found with either the miles or with the times. The only thing left were the speeds. We re-ran the 20-mile leg 8, leading from CP 7 to checkpoint 8, and discovered the problem. The assigned speeds were too fast for the roads, even for Porsches with experienced drivers.
Since the assigned speeds were below the posted speed limits, we could not justify throwing out checkpoints 8 thru 14; but if we had, and only based the results on the first 7 checkpoints, the results would have been the same, with Car 12 in first (with a score of 201), Car 4 in second (368), Car 10 in third (457), Car 2 in fourth (593), and Car 6 in fifth (618). Congratulations to all for a well-driven, hard-fought, press-on-regardless rally.
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top row photos
by Guy Foster
bottom row photos
by Jeff Hall
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Our next rally is the Picture Perfect Rally, a Gimmick rally on November 20th and rallymastered by Past President Craig Steele.
Here’s the scenario:
Your friend had a delightful experience driving her Porsche through the Napa Valley, and took several pictures for her travel album. Unfortunately, she dropped the prints and now they are out of order. She has requested your help in placing them in the correct sequence. She will give you the pictures and a detailed set of instructions for the route she drove. She asks that you drive the route and put the pictures in the order they appear along the route.
The Picture Perfect Rally is open to all PCA members and is appropriate for sports cars, sedans, and sport utility vehicles. It is the ideal event for beginners who have never rallied before. Ride-along guests are welcome if you have a four-door Porsche. When looking for pictures, the more eyes the better.
The Picture Perfect Rally will start in Calistoga and finish in the city of Napa. The rally is about 70 miles long and all roads are paved. There are no assigned speeds, no checkpoints, and no math. Both the driver and navigator must register and complete the online speed waiver prior to the close of registration on Sunday November 14th. The entry fee is $25 per car, so only one person, either the driver or the navigator, should pay the fee. There are no classes, no assigned speeds, and no checkpoints, just fun roads, beautiful scenery, and interesting pictures. In addition to a trophy, the first-place winner will receive a free entry to a 2022 Redwood Region autocross. Here’s an interesting fact: there are only two left turns in the Picture Perfect Rally. All other turns are to the right. How and why is that? Enter and find out. For further information please contact Rallymaster Craig Steele or Rally Director Jim Robison.
Our last rally of the year will be the Two Lake Rally on Saturday, December 4th. It’s about 100 miles of paved roads with both the start and the finish in Napa, and a midway break. The Two Lake Rally will be a TSD rally using the same format as Devil’s Gulch and Oktoberfest. A smartphone will be required to run the free Richta GPS Competitor app. If you are planning to also run a TSD app, you will need a second smartphone. The entry fee is $25 per car, not per person, and entries will close on Sunday, November 28th. Trophies will be presented for 1st thru 3rd places, and the first-place winner will also receive a free entry to a 2022 Redwood Region autocross.
I’ll close this monologue with an invitation to those who have never rallied before. Consider entering one or both rallies in a “non-competitive” mode. Simply register, follow the clear route instructions as if you were on a tour, enjoy some great roads, and then relax at the finish while you share stories with the other participants over a bite to eat and a beverage. For more information, please contact me.
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"Peace, Love and Porsches!" -Kurt Fischer
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Rick Duste
Secretary
Board meetings are held on the last Tuesday of every month at 7 PM. Meetings are open to all members. We have returned to in-person dinner meetings at Mary's Pizza Shack in Novato. You can also join the meetings via Zoom from the comfort of your own homes. Please see our calendar link at redwoodpca.org. for details.
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Membership Report & Information |
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In October 2021, 29 PCA Redwood Region members marked 5 or more years in the club, including 2 members with over 40 years! We also had 2 members with over 30 years, and 4 more with 20 or more years.
Anniversaries
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Congratulations to all of you for such long-term loyalty, and thank you to all who are marking anniversaries – I hope you are enjoying your membership, and taking advantage of all the great benefits our club has to offer! |
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In October we welcomed 10 new members, and 2 transfers from other regions. You will all be receiving a complimentary Redwood Region name badge shortly. If you’d like to order a name badge for your associate or family member, check out our website for full details and instructions.
New Members October 2021
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If you spot any errors or have any questions about membership please feel free to email Tom .
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Got web skills?
We need 'em! Redwood Region is looking for a new webmaster to take over updating our website. Commitment is a few hours a month and the rewards are working with a great team of other volunteers that help keep this club moving forward. If you're interested, please contact Stacy. |
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Got something to sell? We'll post it for free. Send us details and a picture by the 5th of the month to be included.
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Porsche Marin
When you want the best selection and prices on new, used and pre-owned Porsche vehicles, Porsche Marin offers exactly what you’re looking for. 911, Boxster, Cayman, Cayenne, Macan, Panamera and more.
Mill Valley
415 578-9101
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Autobahn Automotive
Sonoma County's premier automotive location for maintenance, servicing, auto repairs and performance upgrades for your Porsche and BMW since 2007
Santa Rosa
707 545-1958
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PCA Redwood Region Merchandise |
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Official Merchandise
Good news! Brand new Redwood Region branded items have been submitted to PCA national, and they are building our regional webstore. Stay tuned! we will let you know as soon as it is up.
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der Riesenbaum is the official newsletter of the Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region, encompassing Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma Counties. This publication is intended to inform Club members about Club activities and other related matters of interest.
We encourage letters to the editor, feedback, questions and suggestions about our newsletter and the Redwood Region in general. Want to contribute to the newsletter?Submit photos and articles about Club events or related activities. Please submit your entry by the 5th day of the month for inclusion in that month's newsletter. Articles received after the deadline will be considered for the next month's newsletter. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all materials submitted for publication.
Want to reach an audience of Porsche enthusiasts with your marketing message? Consider advertising in der Riesenbaum. Contact the editor for more information and rates.
All written content and images in this publication are protected by copyright. Permission is granted to reprint any original content herein provided credit is given to the author, the der Riesenbaum and to the Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region. The opinions expressed in der Riesenbaum are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region, its officers, or its members.
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Thanks for supporting our Club!
Lisa Davoren
der Riesenbaum Editor
Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region
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