Upcoming Events
President's Message
Chip Witt
President

Redwood Region just conducted its 2019 Autocross Ground School on April 28 in advance of our upcoming 2019 AX #1 at Sonoma Raceway on May 5. 

The reason I bring up the ground school is that a concept Bob Schoenherr discussed with the class is applicable to many aspects of our lives: our instinct is to have tunnel-vision, and to look only at what’s right in front of us. In order to optimize performance, we have to keep our eyes up and take in the inputs necessary to anticipate the needs of corners beyond the one we are currently negotiating. It is with my eyes up and looking ahead that I write this month’s message.

Last September marked the 25th Cloverdale Car & Motorcycle Show and Redwood Region was given the special honor of being invited to participate in what we termed, “Porsche Street”...or “Porschestraße.” We had over 10 participants from the Redwood Region display their cars and member Gordon Carter won an award for “Best Custom Import.” He wrote about it in last September’s dR if you want to read more about it. Aside from the individual entry judging and awards, there is an award up for grabs that goes to the car club with the largest number of participants. All of us from Redwood who participated last year discussed how cool it would be to double the number of participants in 2019 and at least strive for the club award.

Ambitions remain unfulfilled without proper prior planning, so I’m asking you to consider circling September 7 on your calendars. Details on the event and entry fees should be coming to us soon, and it would be fantastic to be able to plan a strong Redwood showing to share our marque with a broader spectrum of other car enthusiasts. It’s a “show-and-shine” kind of event. We’ll call it “Redwood Pride on Porschestraße in Cloverdale.” Should be fun.

Focusing back down to what’s right in front of us: if I don’t see you at our autocross on May 5, I hope you can join us for the Station House Run on May 18 or at Porsches on the Plaza on June 22.

Thank you and drive safe out there!

From the Zone
Collin Fat
Zone 7 Representative

Golden Gate Region Opens DE and West Coast Race Series


Golden Gate Region opened its DE season in conjunction with the opening round of the PCA Club Race, West Coast series at Thunderhill Raceway on March 23-24. There were over 93 drivers participating in the DE event, Drivers Education, while 22 drivers participated in the PCA Club Race.

This was my first DE event in about 2 years and the first time that I have attended a PCA Club Race. The event was very well organized with dozens of volunteers needed to put the event on without issues. Golden Gate Region DE chair Jim McClelland showcased his skills organizing a flawless event not only for the PCA members participating in the DE event but did a great job coordinating the PCA Club Race. Safety is always a top concern whether in club racing or running a DE event and at the drivers meeting it was emphasized repeatedly.

The West Coast Series is a PCA club racing points competition comprised of the all the PCA club races that occur on the west coast of the USA. Historically, club racing in the PCA has been most popular on the east coast, and this series was created (starting with the 2014 season) to encourage west coast club members to take up club racing by providing them with the increased competition and sense of camaraderie that comes with having one's own competitive series. All PCA club racers are eligible to participate and all entrants are automatically entered into the series.

DE or Drivers Education Events are commonly run in conjunction with the PCA Race Series as a way to encourage more PCA members to get involved in a track experience and to learn the amazing performance capabilities of their Porsche. Adding a DE to the Club Race also helps financially with covering the costs of the track rental.

DE’s are designed for members who are first time owners who have never driven in a track environment or drivers with years of track experience. GGR requires all first timers to attend a mandatory ground school usually held a week before the event as well as another orientation at the track. Included in your fees is an experienced instructor who will ride and coach you all day long until he or she feels you have the necessary basic skills to drive the track solo.

Each DE event includes from five-six 25 minute sessions on the track. Run groups are organized so that novices or beginners run in a separate group from the faster intermediate and advanced drivers. Between runs, beginners are required to attend post session debriefings which cover safety issues, the best lines for taking various turns at the track, a review of course worker locations on the track, what to do if you go off course, and other safety procedures. I was lucky to have as my instructor, Stephen Shaw , who assisted me in the morning runs with my steering inputs, hand position and the racing line. His 19 year old son, Matt Shaw, was also in attendance as a student and lapped me at least once in his Volkswagen GTI. Youth has its advantages!

Jim McClelland could not put on these events without the assistance of an experienced team of volunteers which include but is not limited to the following individuals: David Bunch , Sharon Neidel , George Neidel , Chuck Kolstad , Ken Mack , Scott Kalkin , Dan Thompson, Diane Dorr and Rick Schoonover . Thank you and all the volunteer driving instructors for your service to GGR and PCA!

Looking ahead to many of the events of interest in the Zone as well as PCA are the following:

PCA Club Race, May 18-19, Buttonwillow, see a detailed schedule here: www.pcaclubracing.org
GGR Zone 7 Autocross, May 18, Alameda
SVR Concours, May 19, Niello Porsche
Zone 7 Tour with Shasta Region, June 6-10, 2019 (event Full)
Porsche Parade, Boca Raton, Florida, Waldorf Astoria, July 21-27, 2019 ( registration open now )
Werks Reunion, Monterey, August 16, 2019
Porsche Parade, Greater Palm Springs, California, June 21-27, 202

For more information on anything zone, please visit our website.
Sonoma Raceway, Here We Come
Greg Matsumoto 
Autocross Chair

I'm looking forward to next weekend's first (and sold out) Redwood autocross of the season and our first autocross at the paddock of Sonoma Raceway.

Ground school for new folks just happened this past Sunday - it was well attended and everyone learned a bunch. Thanks to Bob Schoenherr and Grady Carter for helping to pull it all together.

I'll be back in May with a full story and pictures on how the autocross goes!

See you then.
No Porsche Corral at Sonoma Speed Festival :-(
Kurt Fischer
Event Director

After 23 years of doing a Porsche-only car corral at Sonoma Raceway for the Vintage Races, this year we will not be there! Seems that HMSA, the sponsor for the Sonoma Speed Festival, has upped their prices to the point of being ludicrous!

For starters, there is no place for a Porsche-only corral. HMSA has limited the corral space to 80 cars of all vintages...and the kicker is that they decide who is special enough to gain entry into this coveted paid ($35 per day)! Gee, I know of one ratty 911 SC that would never make the cut!

Also – ticket prices are up 30% from last year! The Wine Tent, which has been missing for the last 3-4 years is back – at a stunning $125.00 per day! Wine tent was always a major draw for race attendees...but not at this price.

Seems that HMSA is trying to make this event into a Pebble Beach North car event with outrageous prices for everything. This will not happen. People have already started to complain on social media about the prices. You heard it here first from me: attendance will suffer!

If any of you still want to go, feel free, but know that your Porsche crowd will NOT be there! Here's the link..

Needless to say, I am not a happy camper as this event has been my event for the last 23 years!  

Now, for those that crave a Porsche-only corral in the TV Media Lot for Porsche racing, we will be at the Blancpain GT World Challenge on Sunday, June 9! More details to follow but you can check out this page for now.
Caravan to Boca



Attending Porsche Parade this July? Past GGR President and all around Porsche icon Terry Zacone is looking to create a caravan of Porsches to head to parade. If interested, send him an email.
Board Meeting Minutes
Alan Geddes
Redwood Region Secretary

Our next board meeting is scheduled for 7:00 pm on April 30, 2019 at Mary's Pizza Shack, located at  121 San Marin Dr., Novato . All members are welcome to attend. (The February meeting has been cancelled.)

You can read previous board meeting minutes  here
Membership Report & Information
Tom Short
Membership Director

In March 2019, 29 PCA Redwood Region members marked five or more years in the club, including one member with 40 or more years in the club and two who marked over 30 years!  

Congratulations and thanks to those with anniversaries. I hope you are enjoying your membership and taking advantage of all the great benefits our club offers.


I encourage everyone to participate in your club's events -- they're a great way to meet other PCA members and have some great fun with people and our amazing cars. 
   
If you spot any errors or have questions about membership, please  email   me. 
der Marktplatz
Classifieds
Run at the front of the pack! This car has a 1972 911 tub; 3.6L Mat Lowrance built race engine; 370hp; weighs 1975 lbs; has fiberglass 935 body panels; a new Electromotive XDI Ignition; new Electromotive coil packs; a new Haltech Elite 750 ECU; new front shock inserts; new rear shocks; is well sorted; balanced; high downforce and is very fast. For more information and more photos, click here

2007 911 Carrera S Cabriolet
Arctic Silver/Black. 18,750 miles. MSRP $101,350. Supple leather, pwr heated seats w/crests, Bose high
end sound, remote 6 disc changer, self-dimming mirrors, six speed manual, Sport chrono plus, new
Fuchs wheels and Michelin Pilot sport, also factory wheels. Garaged, one owner CA car, as new. $48,500

Call 707 496-2298 or email Scott
1966 912
Cinnamon. 87,462 miles. Rebuilt racer. Current CA salvage title; 911 SC valances, flairs; duck tail; 16” Fuchs/new tires. Also 15” wheels/tires; new glass/body/glass rubbers; new Recaros/interior; new Raby 2270cc Type 4 (180 hp); Dellorto 40 DHCA carbs; M-2 transaxle /914 gears; Tangerine exhaust. Garaged since rebuild.
$49,950

Call 707 496-2298 or email Scott
Got something to buy or sell? We'll post it here for free for three months. Send us details and a picture by the 15th of the month to be included.

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415 578-9101
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
Goodie Store
Dress in style and get your Redwood Region branded items in our Goodie Store.
About der Riesenbaum
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.

March der Riesenbaum cover photo credit: Kurt Fischer
Thanks for supporting our Club!

Stacy O'Connell
der Riesenbaum Editor
Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region