Chip Witt
President
March 2020 President's Message
The end of February and early part of March were packed with significant Redwood Region events. The first, of course, was our annual Run for the Crab on February 22nd; an event that drew over 60 cars on the tour and 119 folks for lunch. We then joined the Hi Tec Automotive team to celebrate their 35th anniversary and grand opening of their new sales showroom on February 29th; with gourmet food truck eats and “Le Mans” on the big screen, it was a truly fabulous experience. Finally, despite a little rain, on March 7th, we set out on a nice drive that ended at Brewster’s Beer Garden; led by our Past President, Vern Rogers, we took a fantastic drive, arriving just in time to open the doors at Brewster’s to enjoy a wonderful lunch. Be sure to read the write-ups by Ben and Kurt for these events to hear more about them.
Some of you may have already noticed, our website got a face-lift at the end of February, following roughly 60 hours of work in January and February. The results of the effort are visible at
redwoodpca.org
(note: this is a new URL).
With the exception of some archival/historical data still left to move, the entire site has been rebuilt and streamlined on a new platform. It's not perfect by any means, but if you look at it from various devices (desktops, tablets, and mobiles), you'll note a marked improvement in general information conveyance and look/feel over our old site.
This website update has also allowed us to accomplish a lot in terms of being able to spread the load of content creation across more people while actually improving overall security. Not only do we now have a dynamic WordPress platform on which to share responsibility for maintaining the site over time, this dynamic platform is abstracted from the actual content delivery...and only runs when we are editing content. The rest of the time, our site is delivered to visitors securely as static content from a high-speed content delivery network. In simplest terms, we get to enjoy all the benefits of a content management system like WordPress with none of the risks those systems tend to open up in terms of security vulnerability. If you are interested in more details about the underlying technology we are now using, feel free to contact me directly.
Nothing good ever comes without a down-side. Unfortunately, because red.pca.org is what is known as a "sub-domain" of pca.org, which is under the control of PCA National, continuing to use it is not possible with these recent changes. You will notice that visiting the site at the old address will redirect you to the new site at
redwoodpca.org
please update your bookmarks accordingly.
Thank you and drive safe out there!
Chip Witt
President, Redwood Region
Porsche Club of America
chip@wittzend.com
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Collin Fat
Zone 7 Representative
PCA National Staff Meeting:
One of my responsibilities as your Zone Rep is to attend the annual national staff meeting and the board of directors meeting at Parade each year. This year the National staff meeting was held in Dallas with the executive council, national staff and all national committee chairs in attendance. As a Zone Rep we get the latest updates from all the national chairs on issues related to club racing, social media best practices, policies and procedures as they relate to your club’s bylaws, updates on the 2020 Region Procedures Manual, issues related to safety procedures, Parade, Treffen, membership growth, the financial state of the club, and the general direction the executive council is planning on taking the club. Following is my report to you, the members of Zone 7.
Financial Conditions and Membership Growth:
The club continues to be in a strong financial condition and plans on reinvesting funds in the year by continuing the quarterly region subsidies. You need to remember that the region subsidies are only made possible if the club reaches certain thresholds as established by the club’s annual budget. Region subsidies can vary year to year. PCA continues to be the only car club in the United States that has grown over the past year while other clubs like SCCA, BMW, and Mercedes have either remained flat or have shown a decline in membership. For 2019, PCA allocated about $90,000 to promoting and marketing membership to owners of Porsche automobiles and the return on investment has been substantial with membership growth near 3 percent. The leadership of the club continues to focus its efforts on growing its membership while increasing its support at the regional level. The overall health of the club is in good shape.
Social Media:
Most clubs have a social media chair that handles its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram postings. However, having a presence on social media comes with some responsibilities and risks. National Social Media chair,
Maggie Goodman
, reminded all Zone reps of some of the pitfalls and issues related to postings on social media that surprised me. She reported an incident where a member posted a photo of a member taking a selfie of himself while clearly crossing the double line on what appeared to be a twisty back road and several incidents regarding inappropriate content not in keeping with PCA guidelines. There were no issues cited for the regions in Zone 7. Good job managing your social media. However, Maggie did point out that some of the inappropriate content was posted from regions that have a Facebook group format versus a Facebook page format. With the group format, non-members from outside the club can post which can result in issues while the page format is preferred.
West Coast Race Series:
For 2020, PCA club racing is thriving while on the West Coast, our series has fewer club races scheduled than in 2019. Most of the club racing on the West Coast has occurred between Zone 7 and Zone 8 with both Zones hosting 5-7 events in 2019. For 2020, Zone 8 is only hosting one event; The Festival of Speed. Zone 7 has scheduled 7 events for 2020. National club race chair,
West Dillard
, reported that club racing has experienced modest growth over the past year but that competition for track events across the nation has increased with other car clubs and organizations competing for drivers.
Parade and Treffen:
Porsche Parade Palm Springs opened registration for phase 1 recently and so far, 865 members have registered. This compares favorably with registration at this point in time with Parade Spokane which had similar numbers. There was an apparent glitch with the room block held for Parade resulting in some members being put on a wait list even though plenty of rooms were available. Parade chair,
Ron
Gordon
, reported that rooms are available and should be when phase 2 registration opens on March 31
st
. If you are considering attending Parade this year, I highly recommend that you register for your room now. I think many members have been thinking that a Parade held in June in the California desert would have low attendance, but I think so far that registration has shown that Parade again will be a huge success regardless of the weather.
Harry Season
, Treffen national chair, reports that Treffen Broadmoor sold out in about 18 minutes. Congratulations to the 26 members in Zone 7 who were lucky enough to be able to sign up. There is a waiting list in effect for the event so if you have a desire to attend, get yourself on the wait list. Treffen Greenbrier registration will open shortly after Treffen Broadmoor and again is expected to sell out. For members wondering why PCA has limited attendance to a Treffen to 150 cars, the answer is the desire to keep the event small and deliver and high-quality experience that is different from Parade.
PCA Region Subsidy Increase:
Effective January 1, 2020, PCA has increased all region subsidies by some 40 percent.
Events of Interest:
CRAB 38 will be hosted by Sacramento Valley Region, May 29-31. Registration for this event is now open at
SVR-CRAB38
Shasta Region will host the Zone 7 Tour again on June 11 -15. Porsche Parade 2020 will be held from June 21 – 27
th
at the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta, CA. with phase one registration now open and phase 2 registration opening on March 31
st
. This is the phase where you register for tours, banquets, and the competition events. The tours have been extremely popular and generally sell out. Sierra Nevada Region will host the Mammoth Tour July 25-26. Treffen 2020 to be held at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs from April 29
th
to May 3
rd
is sold out with a waiting list in effect. Registration for the fall Treffen at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia from September 16-20
th
will open shortly after Treffen Broadmoor so for those of you who may have an interest in attending watch your emails for a notice. For more information on registration, go to
treffen.pca.org
Remember that past Treffens have sold out in as little as one hour due to their growing popularity!
Events and Dates of Interest:
- Monday, March 9th - registration closes for Zone 7 Concours Judging School. Limited to 60 people. zone7.pca.org
- Monday, March 23rd - registration closes for LPR 50th Anniversary Gala. LPR 50th Anniversary Gala
- Tuesday, March 31st - registration for Phase 2 of the Porsche Parade opens. Porsche Parade
1)
Spring Treffen at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs; April 29-May 2;
SOLD OUT -
wait list in effect
2)
Loma Prieta Region 50th Anniversary; March 28; register at MotorsportReg with keyword search of 'LPR'
4)
Zone 7 Tour by Shasta Region; June 11-15; SOLD OUT -
wait list in effect
5)
Porsche Parade at the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta; June 21-27; Phase 1 registration is OPEN;
Porsche Parade
7)
Werks Reunion in Monterey; August 14, featuring the Porsche 914;
Werks Reunion
Note that past Treffens have sold out in as little as one hour due to their growing popularity.
The Porsche Parade has a two-phase registration process. Phase 1 is for Parade registration and accommodations. Phase 2 will be for registration for events and banquets. The second phase registration will occur on March 31st.
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6th Annual Run for the Crab
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Ben Davoren
Vice President
Redwood Region’s premier annual must-do, the Run for the Crab, brought 115 crustacean lovers from Redwood, Diablo, Golden Gate and Sierra Nevada Regions to the Marin Yacht Club on Saturday February 22
nd
. We were blessed with amazing mid-winter weather again: dry roads, no clouds, and enough sun to get those cabriolet tops down where they belong! This event is special because it brings together our widest variety of members for a combination of a seasonal feast and a beautiful backroads tour through west Marin County.
For the tour, sponsored by Wine Country Motor Sports, 63 brightly colored Porsches split into three groups, led by Kurt Fischer, Craig Steele and Vern Rogers. Each group headed out (on time!) on Lucas Valley Road to everyone’s favorite sets of curves along Hicks Valley and Marshall-Petaluma Roads, ultimately to Highway 1 at Point Reyes Station. Thanks again to photographer Paige Gaines who set up his camera out on the route so that everyone’s fun on the drive could be captured. Sweep duties by President Chip Witt, Essy Fariab and myself made sure our bio-breaks were efficient, although no one was dallying; we had Dungeness Crab to get back to!
Home at the yacht club, our voracious crew enjoyed truly fresh cracked and cleaned crab, salad, pasta, and bread, all in the lovely dining area that former Commodore Paul Simmons and his wife Kay had reserved for us. This year’s catering with the sit-down family-style approach, championed by our ‘crab queen’ Sharon Castle made this great event even better. The PCA volunteers who did everything from checking the cars in to setting up the tables while the rest of us were out on the drive, proved our motto once again: It’s Not Just The Cars, It’s The People! T-shirt mementos for the volunteers were kindly donated by Porsche Marin.
Everyone left satiated, and with at least one new friend from another region. We sold out this terrific affair early, so be on the lookout for next year’s announcement!
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35th Hi-Tec Anniversary Party
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Kurt Fischer
Event Director
Membership Director, Tom Short had a conversation with Deven Wailes, owner of Hi Tec, who suggested holding a Redwood Region event on the 35
th
year of operation of this renowned Porsche shop in San Rafael. Tom thought that this was a great idea as Hi-Tec has recently added a new showroom adjacent to the main shop for all the cars that Hi-Tec sells.
February 29
th
, Leap Day, was chosen and the wheels (pun intended) were put in place! What could Hi Tec do to engage our members for several hours on a Saturday early evening? The minds clicked on the big blank wall in the new showroom and thought...”Hey kids, let's put on a show” ! Only the oldies reading this missive will remember the Little Rascals on Saturday morning TV! Well...no song and dance so how about a movie! Again the Porsche minds were spinning... the best Porsche movie ever? Le Mans, with the King of Cool...Steve McQueen was the hands down favorite!
Deven climbs up on a milk crate to address the 30+ people here...movie selected now how about munchies and adult beverages..Deven and the rest of the Hi Tec crew have a plan. How about inviting a great food truck for all to enjoy on Hi Tec's tab! Big green food truck arrives at 5:00PM and we line up for yummy victuals. We are back inside out of the brisk breeze and munching on great Mexican food.
Around 6:00PM they crank up Le Mans...dialogue is brief in this movie...the sounds and visuals are the whole show! Starting with the thump thump of a heartbeat getting faster and then BOOM..the roar of a 917 motor..12 cylinders in anger! This movie is a must see for any Porsche person.
After the movie is over, we say our good byes to the Hi Tec staff consisting of Deven Wailes, Dana Wailes, Brad D'alessio, Thorsten Kopitzki, Julian Apro and Greg Maissen and thank them for a great evening!
Remember...Hi-Tec is one of our favorite sponsors and does excellent work of all Porsches and Greg Maissen manages the sales of selected Porsches for those looking for a new ride!
They are located at 779 Andersen Drive in San Rafael and can be reached at 415-258-9619!
Hi-Tec Auto
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Ben Davoren
Vice President
Hoppy Porsche Tour Review
The first significant rainfall in over a month did not dampen the spirits of the dozen drivers who came out for our now-annual “Hoppy Porsche Tour” on Saturday March 7
th
. Although one could question our sanity for standing around in Novato’s Vintage Oaks parking lot in the drizzle, we had a focused driver’s meeting and headed out between lead Vern Rogers and sweep Chip Witt into West Marin. This was one drive where no one had to be reminded to turn their lights on!
Along Lucas Valley Road we were able to keep our whole group together. I always enjoy being able to see those Porsche colors both in front of and behind me on a tour; it just adds to the fun. Traffic was light for almost our whole journey along curvy Hicks Valley and then Wilson Hill and Chileno Valley Roads, more than compensating for the weather. Kudos to all the drivers (and their right-seat navigators) for staying nicely spaced as we wove between the fields of sheep and cows, interrupting their grazing for just a moment or two with the sounds of flat-sixes and a few turbos.
We came into downtown Petaluma and made our way to the Brewster’s Beer Garden gate just moments before they opened. Despite their name, yes there were inside tables under space heaters and we all fit nicely along a set of three they had set aside. It would be an understatement to say that a good time was had by all. The staff did an outstanding job of getting drinks to us within moments of our initial orders and great food came quickly too. As we left, the sun broke through the clouds and people were starting to populate the garden tables outside, reminding us that you can’t wait for the weather to change to get out and have fun, you just need to get out and do it! Redwood Region is the perfect place to do just that. We look forward to having you join us on our next run.
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Alan Geddes
Redwood Region Secretary
Our board meetings are on the last Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. The next two board meetings are April 28th & May 26th at Mary's Pizza Shack, located at
121 San Marin Dr., Novato
. All members are welcome to attend.
You can read previous board meeting minutes
here
.
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Membership Report & Information
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Tom Short
Membership Director
Note from the Membership Director
In February 2020, 26 PCA Redwood Region members marked five or more years in the club, including one member with over 50 years in our club. We also had two members with over 40 years, and five more with 30 years or more. Congratulations and thank you to all of you who are marking anniversaries – I hope you are enjoying your membership and taking advantage of all the great benefits our club has to offer!
In February we welcomed six new members – I hope you take advantage of the excellent activities our club offers throughout the year. You will be receiving a complimentary Redwood Region name badge shortly. Check out our website for upcoming autocross events. Also, you can order a name badge for your associate member there as well.
I encourage everyone to check out the calendar on our freshly redesigned
Redwood PCA
sign up for upcoming events – it’s a great way to meet other PCA members and have some fun with great people and our amazing cars.
Best,
Tom Short
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I have for sale a 1988 factory slant-nose code M505 Turbo 930S Porsche: 24,100 original miles from new; Cassis Red Metallic Exterior/Burgundy Leather Interior. Have all original tools, equipment, books and maintenance receipts; Always garaged and covered; I have owned for about 11 years. Near flawless original interior/exterior. Runs near perfect. Has exclusive options package. Asking $180,000.
Brian Barber
(707) 548-9972
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2004 Porsche Boxster S
105k miles.
Tiptronic. Meticulously maintained. IMS bearing replaced June 2017.
Recent work includes complete front brake service (new pads, rotors and fluid replacement), left front control arms & tie rod, new rear tie rods, new water pump, replaced both window regulators, 6 new ignition coils, new front struts, new CV boots.
Alpine iLX Carplay installed, (original radio will be included). Overall great condition. $9,500
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FOR SALE
Set of OEM GT4 wheels, including TPMS and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Rims are in great condition. Asking $3,800.00 - Email me with questions. Pete Ritter @
Email Pete
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Hi Tec Automotive
Marin's Highest Rated Porsche & Audi Facility Since 1985
Specializing in:
-Audi & Porsche, new & vintage
-Factory recommended maintenance & repair
-Entire building
-Performance tuning
-Restoration & reconditioning with emphasis on authenticity
Come and visit our new showroom
San Rafael
415 258-9619
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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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Dress in style and get your Redwood Region branded items in our Goodie Store.
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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!
Andy Cole
der Riesenbaum Editor
Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region
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