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In this Issue
Upcoming Events at a Glance

 

Click on the event name for a link to additional details, including contact and RSVP information.  Event dates subject to change.   Click here   to view the full 2017 Redwood Region calendar online.
 
August 2017
Saturday 8/12 Autocross #7
Friday 8/18 Werks Reunion
Saturday 8/26 Maple Creek Winery Tour

September 2017
Saturday 9/2 Autocross #8
Saturday 9/9 Annual Pool Party
Sunday 9/17 Ledson Concours
Saturday 9/23 Oktoberfest & New Member Mixer



From the Editor

by Jamie DeRuiter, der Riesenbaum Editor

  Our last autocross event was epic.  I couldn't have chosen a better event to cap off my time with the Redwood region.  Five 912's...C'mon man!  No, really, we had five 912's at one event.  I don't see how that record gets broken anytime soon.  

  Our fearless leader, Craig Steele, honored me at the event with a nice bottle of wine for my efforts as the newsletter editor.  It was very touching and much appreciated.  I want to say THANK YOU to all who participated in making that happen.  We really have a great group here at the Redwood region.


Shift Toward Adventure,

Jamie
Presidents Message
by Craig Steele, President

         

 
Hello Redwood Region, July was too much fun and August is shaping up to be filled with lots of Porsche events to excite your spirits. Spokane was the best Parade ever compared to the previous three I have attended. I guess it seemed special because I was representing the Region as our President, which included a Board of Directors meeting and a social event at the classic Spokane Davenport Hotel.

I spent 13 days in various Marriott properties during the Parade. I loved being on the 16th floor of the Spokane Gran seeing the downtown stretched below. I also got a lot perks as a Platinum member. One of the tasks I planned was posting a running narrative and pictures of my 13-day adventure on my FB. I hope you like the postings
 
Our caravan to Parade was a complete success. No one broke down. We did have a close call with gas and solved that problem. High Desert region treated Redwood and SVR members to a wonderful buffet at the local Bend OR Porsche-BMW-Audi-Mercedes dealership. They hold their meetings in the upstairs hospitality suite and classic Porsche showroom above the detail shop. I got to hang with Pete Olsen who helped make this dinner possible. Afterwards, we visited Pete's home and garage full of classic cars. He also has a warehouse full of more classic autos. The next morning, High Desert treated us to a guided tour of Oregon and Washington as we headed to Spokane. I highly recommend getting to Parade the day before the Sunday kick-off; you just can't believe the high energy of these events. You start off with registration, and then meetings, goodie store, reception, and welcome party, finally go to your room and collapse into a deep sleep before Monday's barrage of more events. We only had 14 Redwood Region members registered and we were in every event. This was the biggest Parade gathering to-date with 2500 people and 1100 Porsches.
 
Spokane is a lovely city with lots of charm and a fun atmosphere. Our hotel sat right next to a very scenic river front location. Every day I was doing some sort of walking path outing to enjoy the nice weather, the waterfalls and bridges connecting the various sections of Spokane. One of my favorite sights was the old Power station. Another favorite for me was all the flower baskets that seemed to be hanging from all the streetlights. There is a 60 mile trail that goes through Spokane and goes 25 miles deep into neighboring Idaho land.
 
Monday started early (6:00 am).  I have, for last three years, volunteered on the water and ice delivery team. We deliver bottled water to the concours along with ice chests. I love driving around in a golf cart encouraging everyone to hydrate. Mike Hinton and I test drove two Boxster S's with Michelin and a competition tires. We finished our Monday with the Presidents Reception.  Once again, I had no problem falling asleep.  Tuesday was our time to explore the Spokane downtown area topped off with an awesome Italian dinner. Wednesday, I was back in the saddle with ice and water delivery at the AX event. I went on a walking tour of Spokane, which included a brewery and distillery. I bought two bottles of spirits for future Santa Rosa taste tests. I ended the evening attending the Rally Banquet at an Indian casino. I played video poker and broke even.
 
Thursday was so much fun, first I teamed up the Provasi's, Sandy and Tom, and then with Ken on the Gimmick Rally. The checkpoints were manned by ladies of the night and cardsharks and each stop was at a classic local watering hole. We ended up in Wallace, ID the site of the largest silver mine in the world. We even toured the Sierra Silver mine. There were 250 Porsches registered for this event. 

Huckleberry is the local favorite fruit, it's in juices, beer, wine, hard cider, milkshakes, etc. Friday I did a morning walk followed by the tech academy. I then enjoyed painting a Porsche badge while sipping, of course, 'Huckleberry ale'. The painting turned out OK. We finished off the evening with the AX which included some salsa dancing and margaritas. 

Saturday was our last day of Parade. I started out with a 5K walk with some of my caravan folks. Then we assembled for the annual Porsche Parade over an 11-mile route around Spokane. One of my final events was learning the fine art of mixing cocktails. I now know what shaken and stirred really means to Martinis (sorry James, you didn't quite get it right). The Victory banquet was the finale of Parade. Sunday, we all took our separate ways home. Gator and I logged in 2180 miles taking 38 hours behind the wheel with no incidents.
 
Porsche Parade is a very cool event to plan to attend. Mike and Brenda Hinton and myself are planning to attend the 2018 event in Lake of the Ozarks, MO. We are going to follow Route 66 out and Hwy 50 back to Redwood. If you are interested please let us know as we plan our itinerary.


 
August Events
  • 12- Auto Cross #7, Sonoma Airport
  • 17- Werks Reunion, Salinas Corral de Tierra Country Club
  • 22- Board Meeting, Novato Mary's Pizza
 
September Events
  • 2- Auto Cross #8, Sonoma Airport
  • 9- Annual Pool Party
  • 17- Zone 7 Concours at Ledson Winery
  • 23- Oktoberfest and New member Mixer in Vacaville
  • 26- Board Meeting, Novato Mary's

 
That's all for now...


Craig



In The Zone
by Sandy Provasi, Zone 7 Representative
 

 
I just returned from a week at the Porsche Parade in Spokane, Washington. Over 100 cars of the 1000+ came from Zone 7. Congratulation to all the Zone 7 winners in Concours, Rally, Autocross, Art Show, Gimmick Rally, Tech Quiz, Region Newsletter contest, Region Website contest, Zone Website contest, Service awards and 5K run. I will try to get a list up on the website of all the winners as there are many!
 
Save the date for next years Porsche Parade, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, July 8-14, 2018. And while you are planning ahead you can think about attending the 2019 Parade in Boca Raton, Florida, July 21-27, 2019.
 
For those of you whom can't get enough of touring, please check out the Treffen website at Treffen.pca.org. Spring of 2018 will be to Tamaya, New Mexico and Fall of 2018 will visit Banff, Canada. Spring of 2019 Treffen will head to Bend, Oregon.
 
Last call to sign up for Werks Reunion, Monterey at motorsportreg.com coming August 18, 2017 to the new location at Corral de Tierra. We can always use more volunteers to direct cars during the day.
 
If you are attending the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca on Saturday, August 19 or Sunday, August 20, 2017 we can also use help directing cars or helping in the PCA Corral Tent at Turn 5. You must have a race ticket purchased through mazdaraceway.com. For Porsche parking at Turn 5, you need to register at motorportreg.com, Porsche Club of America-Rolex Monterey Car Corral.
 
Looking Forward (info at the zone website, zone7.pca.org):
  • Golden Gate Region Drivers Ed and Club Race, Thunderhill, September 2nd and 3rd
  • Loma Prieta Region Zone Autocross #7, Marina Airport, September 16th
  • Golden Gate Region Zone Autocross #8, Marina Airport, September 17th
  • Redwood Region Zone Concours, Ledson Winery, September 17th
  • Porscheplatz, Laguna Seca, IMSA Racing, September 23rd and 24th
  • Diablo Region Zone Concours, Porsche of Livermore, October 1st
  • Golden Gate Region Zone Autocross #9, Alameda, October 29th
 
Safe Driving,
 
Sandy Provasi
Zone 7 Representative
 
 

 

Mobile Works West

 




 
mapleMaple Creek Winery

 

Register HERE
New online Goodie Store

Visit our NEW Goodie Store!





 To see our NEW online store click HERE.

sonnen

 

 

Ledson Concours d'Eleganceledson


 
It's In The Blood
by Drew Powers

Racing has always been a part of my life. I was exposed early on with my mom and dad both being active Redwood members competing in Autocrosses as well as Hill Climbs in the 356. They carted my sister, Kim, and I around to events when we were little, but eventually, wrangling two little kids around a bunch of race cars was too much and they stepped away.



Growing up, I started racing BMX and then moved into racing mountain bikes. I was always into cars too, but a busy race schedule made it impossible to make it out to try Autocrossing, though I kept dreaming of it. 

After a bad crash that ultimately ended my bike racing career, I knew I would have at least 2 years down time from bike racing that I could use to go do some of the other things that I had been wanting to do. First thing on the list? You can probably guess.

I did my first few AX seasons in a Subaru, my daily driver. Some may remember my silver wagon. It was a great car to learn in, but I eventually reached the limit of what it could do. And coincidentally, about that same time I hit a deer on the freeway, totaling the car. 

With the AX hooks already deep in, I couldn't just not drive at an AX, so I took my first shot at driving a Porsche, the same 356 that my parents raced and my dad, Larry, still was racing. 



It couldn't have been a bigger change. Everything was different. No power anything. 50hp instead of 425hp. Rear wheel drive instead of all wheel drive. I wish I could say I got in and it all just worked. It didn't. I had learned how to drive in a certain way and now doing any of that would make the car spin. I had to relearn how to drive. But, I did and mastered the car. All of those things that would send me spinning off in random directions I can now use to my advantage to get through a tight gate.

Driving a car like the 356 with its worn out suspension and 600 tread wear tires (both problems have since been fixed) taught me a lot about car control. And having no horsepower to pull me out of a turn forced me to learn how to maintain speed through a course. I think having to overcome those challenges has made me a much better driver than if I was learning in a more modern car. But now that I have learned those things, I can take them with me to any car I drive. 

Sooner or later, we as a family will have to stop beating on our poor 356. It has put up with a lot being raced regularly by 3 people at a single event. But it has handled everything we have done to it and continues to after 53 years of abuse. What other car can say that?

Autocross #7ax7


Register HERE

Autocross
by Greg Matsumoto, Autocross Director


 
Pictured from left to right are: Ken Kenworthy, '68 912 Targa; Joe Lee (GGR), '68 912; Jamie DeRuiter, '66 912; Tristan Bayless, '68 912; and Greg Zajic (SVR), '69 912.


The July autocross was one that goes down into our history books.  Not only was it a beautiful day in a great location with hot air balloons overhead and 43 drivers ready for an exciting day, but we had some remarkable events happening.


First of all, as seen in the above picture, we had five 912's competing!  Not only did they compete, but three of the five were in the top six times for the day.  It was amazing to have four 912 coupes and one 912 Targa at one timed event.  


Doug Brekke is continuing his hot run of collecting Top Time of the Days (TTOD) at 38.229.  Doug and his Spyder have been tough to beat.  This is a changing of the guard since we have been accustomed to seeing Grady Carter and Tristan Bayless leading the pack.  We are all waiting for Grady Carter to finish working on his Boxster.  It's great having Grady at the autocross helping us stay organized but it's odd not seeing him on the track.


The 912's showed their mojo by placing 2nd (Tristan Bayless, 38.795), fifth (Jamie DeRuiter, 39.637) and sixth (Joe Lee, 39.670).  We had our own David vs. Goliath battle when you consider the small 912 engine displacement vs. the modern large displacement Porsches.  Below is a link to familiarize yourself with 912's.  In reading the link, I learned they were originally equipped with 90 hp at 5,800 rpm to provide the engine more low-end torque and stability.  

           


 
A second historical event was the outstanding driving by Kim Powers in her '64 356.  Kim not only took TTOD-L but, more importantly, she took 1st place in PAX!  She put us guys in our place.  A lady hasn't placed first in PAX since 2012 (Sharon Neidel)!  Her PAX score was ahead of Jamie DeRuiter and Tristan Bayless, her beau.  Tristan's driving lessons are paying off for Kim and on Saturday, the student surpassed the teacher.  In addition, using actual times, Kim was only .359 seconds behind her brother Drew and .130 second faster than her father Larry.  But Larry had a faster time than Drew last month.  The Powers family enjoys competing for bragging rights.

This leads to a third memorable fact.  This being the "family affair" competition.  We had three father and son's aiming for each other (Larry and Drew Powers, Tom and Brian Sweeny and Greg and Ryan Matsumoto).  One father and daughter (Larry and Kim Powers) bout.  And three couples (Anita Benzing and Bob Schoenherr; Nicole Weld and Chip Witt; and Kim Powers and Tristan Bayless) competing.  Unfortunately, Vern ("Vern Goes Fast") Thomas broke her clavicle while bicycle training and couldn't join Howard for Saturday's autocross.  One great facet of autocross is rooting for your family member and partner to do well.  It was sobering for me to have my son, after not autocrossing for a year, to only be half a second behind me.  I have a big target on my back and my days are limited.  So, please give me tips on how I can I implement the lyrics of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, " Even though we've spent our lives charging up the wrong side of the hill / Old age and treachery always overcomes youth and skill."

And, our fourth facet was the honoring of Jamie DeRuiter.  Jamie is our der Reisenbaum Editor and is moving to Chester, CA.  As mentioned in last month's der Reisenbaum, this was his last planned autocross event.  Jamie has been an autocrosser for several years and his tires were smoking on Saturday with his fifth-place finish.  He plans to leave his '66 912 in Napa at his father-in-law's house in case he can make the August autocross.  But, hunting season is beginning and he's an avid hunter.  Our President, Craig Steele, recognized him for his many contributions to our club and awarded him with a bottle of quality cabernet.  Volunteers are what makes our club work and Jamie has been exceptional.  Thanks Jamie and may your move be a great one!  We hope to see you at all future events if you are in the area.





In conclusion, autocross is about learning how to optimally handle your car but it is also about the people. We all fine tune our driving skills and our technical knowledge to improve on each run.  However, all skill and no fun makes us boring robots.  Artificial intelligence implanted in our cars could improve our times but would extract the joy.  Other Porsche clubs have larger autocross attendance but you can't beat the camaraderie of the Redwood Region.  

We only have three more autocrosses and sadly the season ends.  So, mark the following dates in your calendar:
 
Our next autocross is Sat., August 12 th !
Followed by Sat., Sept. 2nd
And ending  L  Sat., Oct. 14th with an Enduro!
 



Werks Reunionwerks

 

 

Gold Country Road Rally


 
Club Racing West Coast Series 2017

 
AXPaddock.com




 
Membership Report
by Tom Short, Membership Director

In July 2017, 34 PCA Redwood Region members marked five or more years in the club, including one member with 44 years, and three others who have been members for 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 July we welcomed nine 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, along with a coupon good for a free autocross. Check out our website for upcoming autocross events. Also, you can order a name badge for your associate member there as well.
 
Be sure to check out the calendar on our website, and keep an eye on it as new events are added as we finalize them. I encourage everyone to participate in your club's events - it's a great way to meet other PCA members and have some fun with great people and our amazing cars. 

 
If you spot any errors or have any questions about membership please feel free to email me at pcaredmembership@gmail.com .
 
Best,
 
Tom Short




New Members






Board Meeting Minutes

by Alan Geddes, Redwood Region Secretary

Redwood Region Board Meeting Minutes - The minutes from the July 25th, 2017 Board meeting will be available after approval at the August 29th, 2017 meeting.  Read previous board meeting minutes here.  
 
Our next Board Meeting is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on August 29th, 2017 at Novato Mary's Pizza Shack, 121 San Marin Drive, Novato, CA 94945. All members are welcome to attend.  

Membership Information

Please contact Tom Short, Membership Director for general information about Club membership, including changes of address and/or contact information, dual-membership inquiries, inter-region transfers, membership referrals, and name badges.

Redwood Region Members are welcome and encouraged to attend monthly Board Meetings, held on the last Tuesday of each month (except December) at 7:00 p.m. August 29th, 2017 meeting will be at Novato Mary's Pizza Shack, 121 San Marin Drive, Novato, CA 94945.
CASA Flyer

 

Redwood Region Contacts
2016 Redwood Region Board of Directors

Executive Council                                                                        Appointed Directors



707.953.1100

Jamie De Ruiter






Chip Witt, Vice President
 chip@wittzend.com
707-481-8804



707-266-4470




707.525.8623


bob schoenherr headshot 2011


707-289-4304




Alan Geddes, Secretary

Mac Cranford


415.577.0647




707-963-7827




415.258.9619




   Ad-Hoc Committee






kurt fischer headshot



Concours Chairman

415.819.2210

Tom Short


Tom Short, Membership Director
pcaredmembership@gmail.com
415-300-7457
david bunch headshot 2011






707.525.8623



   
Zone 7 Representative

david bunch headshot 2011


415.717.4117







707.725.6110







der Marktplatz
 

FORSALE  Set of Fuchs rims 16x6 and 16x7 in excellent shape Rims dated 4/87 and 11/87 not curb rash, two rims have a very small defect. will send more photos if interested.  $1300.
 
George Nostrant
707-695-2402

PORSCHE 911 993 Left and Right Headlight Lenses 1995-1998
From 1998 993 with 140,000 miles.  Mild pitting.  Driver's side has small hole patched with clear tape (see photo). $175


Contact:  Alan Geddes
Phone: 415-377-7120


Porsche 911 993 Front OEM Windshield Glass W/ Antenna 1995-1998
Good condition,- mildly pitted, no cracks. Came from car with 140,000 miles that was converted to show car. Green tint at top, antenna at center. 
$395

Contact:  Alan Geddes
Phone: 415-377-7120


Rims and Tires for sale $800 
Two 7.5x18 ET 50 mounted with Toyo R888's 225/40Z R18.
Two 9X18 ET 52 With Toyo R888's 285/30 R18.
 
The rims are powder coated black and are in excellent condition.
Tires are in good condition with 5-8 heat cycles. Lots of life left.
 
Contact Mac Cranford
temgren@comcast.net
 

 

 

 

Classified ads for Porsches and Porsche-related parts or accessories are available at no charge to PCA members and may be submitted to the editor via  email by the 5th of the month to be included in that month's issue of der Riesenbaum. Ads will run for three months, space permitting, unless canceled by the seller. Classified ads are also included in the  der Marktplatz section on our Club website. Editor may modify ad copy as needed based on space constraints, and is not responsible for content, errors or omissions. Commercial ads are not accepted. Please contact  Sponsorship Director Simone Kopitzki at 415.299.7563 for sponsorship information and rates. 
 
 

 

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. 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.

 

Letters to the editor, feedback, questions, and suggestions about der Riesenbaum and the Redwood Region in general are welcome. We also encourage members to submit photos and/or write-ups about Club events or related activities. Written contributions and photos are welcome and should be emailed to the editor. The submission deadline for publication in der Riesenbaum is the 5th day of the month for that month's publication. Material received after the deadline will be considered for publication the following month. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all material submitted for publication.

 

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, to der Riesenbaum, and to the Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region. 

 

Click here to visit us on the web or here to visit our Facebook page.

 

Thank you all for supporting your Club!

 

Jamie DeRuiter, der Riesenbaum Editor

Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region

 

2012 PCA RR Logo Gray Bkd