Scrupulous polishing before the annual Redwood Region Concours | | |
Non-PCA Events of Interest
10/10 – Porsche Marin 2nd Saturday Motor Social, 8-10am @ Strawberry Shopping
Center, Mill Valley
10/18 – 356CAR Breakfast, 9:00am at IHOP Vintage Oaks, Novato
11/1 – ESCA Autocross at Sonoma County Fairgrounds
11/1 – Marin County Cars and Coffee at Vintage Oaks, Novato
11/14 – Porsche Marin 2nd Saturday Motor Social, 8-10am @ Strawberry Shopping
Center, Mill Valley
11/15 – 356CAR Breakfast, 9:00am at IHOP Vintage Oaks, Novato
12/6 – Marin County Cars and Coffee at Vintage Oaks, Novato
12/12 – Porsche Marin 2nd Saturday Motor Social, 8-10am @ Strawberry Shopping
Center, Mill Valley
12/20 – 356CAR Breakfast, 9:00am at IHOP Vintage Oaks, Novato
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Pat Burke
President
Fall was in the air! Well…sort of. We’re having a pretty good heat wave as we enter the month of October!
Our Region just finished up its annual Concours d’Elegance in Sonoma, and we had a large turnout of beautiful Porsches wanting to be looked over by our ever-prudent judges. A huge thank-you to Rosa and Essy Fariab, our Concours Chairs for, once again, organizing a wonderful event.
Yours truly decided to try my first real Concours experience—and an experience it was! After the judging at Werks Reunion Monterey, this was much tougher than anything I had experienced. I detailed my car over two days in 95º heat and thought it was meticulously clean as the judges arrived. As they scrutinized every part of my 911, one of the judges called me over and told me he was going to give me a minor deduction for a very small piece of lint on the carpet between the driver’s door sill and the seat rail! Then he told me that since he gave me that deduction, he would overlook the deduction for another piece of lint inside the emptied glove box. At the end of the day, as I awaited the results, my name was called as the winner of the Street 7 category! So, my first Concours, my first trophy—and I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead! I do have to say that it was a blast meeting new PCA members from all over our Zone 7 Regions who entered, while also enjoying the company of friends from Redwood!
Since the last newsletter, Katherine and I also experienced the PCA Treffen at Sea – Pacific Wine Country cruise. We flew to Vancouver, BC, a few days ahead of the cruise, giving me the opportunity to experience a new city. I loved every minute of our time there. The weather was fantastic, and the food scene was wonderful. I had the best steak tartare that I have ever had at Bao Bei, a Michelin Guide-recommended Chinese restaurant. It was uniquely prepared, and I upped the dish by adding smoked bone marrow. Wow! The entire dining experience was amazing—small plates that we shared and very much enjoyed in a cool atmosphere, sitting at a high-top in the bar. If you ever go to Vancouver, GO THERE!
On the cruise, I met many new friends from all 14 Zones of the PCA, and reconnected with friends Rick and Linda Duste, who are members of both the Redwood and Sacramento Valley Regions.
The days on the ship started early with seminars from some very interesting presenters. Topics included finding and purchasing older Porsches and the effort that goes into them, presented by Nathan Merz; the Porsche Motorsport story from the eyes of Alwin Springer; stories from Bruce Meyer, the founding chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum; and several others.
I attended every seminar and was fortunate enough to have lunch with Nathan and his wife, Suzy, who is the VP of the PCA Pacific Northwest Region. We shared plenty of stories about purchasing and owning Porsches. Nathan offered to be a presenter at a Redwood Tech Session in the future. I will keep you posted on that possibility.
In the evenings, we had several fun PCA events in the Vista Lounge, which became our home base for the sailing. There was a karaoke night—yes, I did get up on stage and sing! Katherine has the videos. Notice I said videos!
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We also had a motorsport-themed party, where I finished in third place wearing a red driver’s suit loaned to me by David Bunch.
The entire six days of the cruise was a fantastic experience, and PCA National and their sponsor Princess Cruises did a terrific job putting it all together!
On the local Region front, please try to make our Annual Members Social on Sunday, October 25th. We’ll all meet at POSSE at Vintage Oaks Shopping Center and depart from there for a beautiful drive through the Marin/Sonoma countryside. We’ll finish at the Union Hotel in Occidental for lunch and our meeting. The cost is $35 per person, and registration is open through MSR with this link. I hope to see you there!
Also, remember to save the date for our annual Holiday Party on December 12th at Torches Restaurant in Petaluma. We will have several hotel rooms blocked at the Sheraton Petaluma, so watch for more information. Our Holiday Party is one of the best events of the year and shouldn’t be missed!
On a personal note, I’m off to Indianapolis, where I’ve been invited back for a third year to participate as a Master Food Sport Judge at the World Food Championships. It’s a week-long food experience that I’m honored to be a part of.
As always, it is an honor to serve as your President. We’re always looking for volunteers to help make our Region even better. Please reach out to me directly if you’d like to join our team—we’d love to have your help!
I hope to see you at one of our upcoming events. Until then, enjoy the drive!
| | Vice President's Message — So you want to put an event together? | |
Jeff Hall
Vice President
As we head for Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season, I want to share some information as we start the countdown to 2027. Speaking of the New Year, Kathleen and I just returned from a trip to New York City and the hotel bar overlooked said “ball” that drops on New Year’s Eve in Times Square…
2027 Planning Event:
Last month I talked about planning and designing a Redwood Region event (tours, lunches, winery visits, etc.). This month I will talk about how those events come to pass and get added to our “Event Calendar”. November will mark our annual planning meeting which will be at Torches Restaurant in Petaluma – the same restaurant that hosts our monthly Board Meeting as well as hosting our Holiday Party on December 12th, but more about that later…
If you are at all interested is putting together an event next year, please join us on November 17th at Torches Restaurant at 256 Petaluma Boulevard N. Come prepared to discuss the type of event and prospective dates for the event. The outcome of this meeting will be a “roughed-out” event calendar upon which we can build and formalized in 2027. You don’t have to have ALL the details – just an idea and a prospective date (or dates)!
The meeting is usually a lively sharing of events, ideas, etc. and we would love to have some new faces/ideas to “ring in” the New Year! Hope to see you there…
Redwood Region Holiday Party ’26:
It’s that time of year again – time for the Annual Redwood Region Holiday Party!! This year we have changed venues to the lovely Torches Restaurant at 256 Petaluma Boulevard N, in downtown Petaluma. We hold our Board Meetings at the restaurant and have developed a wonderful relationship with the staff and owner – they promise to knock our party “out of the park”!
Dinner will consist of a Carving Station with Prime Rib plus a Salmon entrée. Also included will be a salad, mashed potatoes, dessert and all the fixings! Our “House Band” that has been with us for years, Void Where Prohibited, are back by popular demand and will play from 8pm ‘til 11pm. We will have the usual “Holiday Raffle” and this year will have a much-anticipated award ceremony where we will award special achievements of some of our Redwood members.
We will also continue our philanthropic tradition of providing Sonoma County’s Toys for Tots program with boxes full of “unwrapped” gifts for deserving kids in Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino counties…
More details for the Holiday Party will be available when registration opens next week! The cost of the party remains the same as the last few years ($75), and you will be able to register HERE! Registration opens on October 12th.
I highly recommend taking advantage of our special, discounted room rate for the night of the party and take a rideshare the short distance to and from the party at the Sheraton Sonoma Wine Country! Rooms are available now - Register HERE!
See you at the Planning Meeting on November 17 AND at the Annual Holiday Party on December 12!!
Carpe Viam
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Please join the Redwood Region and Platinum Sponsor Porsche Marin for the monthly
“Marin Motor Social” Cars & Coffee at Strawberry Village in Mill Valley.
The next event is on Saturday 9/12!
Hosted by Porsche Marin on the second Saturday of EVERY month - we’ll see you soon.
See over 100 cars including Lamborghinis, McLarens, Ferraris AND lots of Porsches.
Take a look at the latest news from Porsche Marin here!
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Chris Porter
New Member, Tiburon
Tell us about yourself
I grew up in London UK, went to grad school in Rhode Island (URI) and decided to stay. I retired 2 years ago having spent the past 30 years working in engineering and operations roles at various tech companies all in the Bay Area. My wife Laura and I have been married for 20 years, and we have a 6-year-old Shetland Sheepdog who likes to shed fur and is therefore not allowed in the Porsche!
What do you drive?
2005 997.1 Carrera 2S in Atlas Grey. Manual, factory PCCB, 97k miles with a recently rebuilt FSI 4.0 motor. This is my first Porsche, I’ve owned her for 7 years and it’s been a great experience. Now that I’m retired, I have more time to drive for pleasure. My favorite thing about the car is the rebuilt motor which adds a lot of power. I also own a 2013 McLaren 12C Spider and a 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser 'Trail Teams Ultimate Edition'.
Why did you join PCA?
I have friends who are members and I heard that PCA Redwood Region is the one to join. I enjoy various local Cars and Coffee events and meeting fellow Porsche owners, making new friends and learning more about these wonderful cars.
| | 2026 Redwood Region Concours | |
Rosa Fariab
Concours Co-Chair
Sunday, October 4th, 6:45 a.m. It was still dark and cold when we arrived at Sonoma Plaza. No Porsches, no people yet - just Kurt, Joe and the sound of a leaf blower. Brian from the City of Sonoma was clearing the horseshoe before the cars arrived. Joe had arranged for him to be there, as he has every year.
Joe and Kurt had already put up our pop-up tent and registration table. Essy and I unloaded the tables, chairs and banners we brought. Essy and I sat down for a moment to enjoy the quiet, cool morning air. We knew the Plaza would soon be filled with Porsches, friends and activity. But for now, it was quiet.
| The first Porsches arrived. And just like that, the morning began! | |
About 45 Porsches gradually filled the Plaza as Kurt, Essy and Joe strategically fit the cars into place. Before long, the quiet horseshoe had turned into the Concours and a happy meeting of old and new friends.
There was a lot happening around the Plaza this year. PCA Juniors judging was introduced, CASA of Sonoma County helped with People’s Choice voting, Flat 6 Candles joined us as a new vendor, and we designed a new trophy. We also changed the registration setup to make check-in faster and had plenty of raffle prizes.
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We’re also grateful to our sponsors for their support this year: Capricorn Automotive, our trophy sponsor; Auto Sport Detailing, who provided the People’s Choice Award and raffle prizes; Napa Vault, who helped with volunteer lunches; and Hi-Tec Automotive. Their contributions helped make the day possible.
This year we had our friends at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Sonoma County help with our People’s Choice Award. They handed out voting ballots, which were returned to their table for tallying later. CASA has long been Redwood Region’s primary charity and advocates for children in foster care and the juvenile court system.
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After the ballots were tallied, Tom Roderick won the People’s Choice Award with his beautiful 1964 Porsche 356C.
Another new addition this year was PCA Juniors judging, led by Brian Adkins. The Juniors took a close look at the cars and chose their favorite, with Josh Brand of Diablo Region winning the PCA Juniors’ Choice Award for his striking 1989 Porsche 930.
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Redwood Region members did very well in the judged competition. Of the 29 judged entries, 11 were from Redwood Region and all 11 won awards!
And a special congratulations to our President, Pat Burke, who entered Concours for the first time this year–all that cleaning paid off with a first-place award.
Our other first-place winners were Tom Roderick, Don Nohai, Thorsten Kopitzki, Andy Turner, John Jackson and Ed Boracchia.
Second- and third-place winners went to Alex Sill, Steve Summer, Brian Barber and Dr. Thomas Sigmon.
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One of the day’s special moments came when we surprised Brian Adkins with a plaque for his dedication and service as our Zone 7 Representative. With this being his final year in the role, the recognition made the moment especially meaningful.
A special thank-you also goes to my assistant for the day, Zara Turner. Zara participated in PCA Juniors judging and also helped hand out ribbons and trophies during the awards. It was also her dad, Andy Turner’s first Concours, and he took home a first-place award in his class.
We were also very grateful to Simone Kopitzki, who stepped in for the day to help Zone 7 Concours Chair Roy Schauben with judging duties.
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Redwood Region 2026 Concours wouldn’t have been possible without the help of so many people. Essy and I would like to thank Brian Adkins, Roy Schauben, Simone and Thorsten Kopitzki, Pat Burke, Kurt Fischer, Joe Burroughs, Eileen and Paige Gaines, Mike and Kim LeFrenais, Brad and Lorna Williams, Don Magdanz, Ron Harris, and Dawne and Paul Carver.
And thank you to everyone who displayed their cars, entered the judged competition, or simply came out to support the event!
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Sunday, October 4th, 2:00 p.m. It was still sunny and hot at Sonoma Plaza. No Porsches, no people now - and no sound of a leaf blower.
The tables, chairs and banners were packed away. Essy and I sat down for a moment to enjoy the quiet, warm afternoon air. Only a few hours earlier, the Plaza had been filled with Porsches, friends and activity. And now it was quiet again.
The last Porsches left. And just like that, the day ended.
It’s not just the cars.
Thank you for the memories – until we meet again next year.
Photos by Paige Gaines, Essy Fariab and Gabi Turner
| | Archaeology Driving Tour 2026 | | |
On Sunday, September 27th we an had excellent turnout at our first-ever Archaeological Driving Tour. As a professional archaeologist, part of my job consists of educating the public about our local cultural resources. I can’t think of a better way to do that than to drive to see them in our lovely Porsches!
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We began the morning at our monthly POSSE at Vintage Oaks which, unsurprisingly, had higher-than-average attendance due to tour attendees. Our group of 27 cars (and 42 people), split into 2 groups a short interval apart, departed promptly at 9:45 to our first stop, Olompali State Historic Park. Despite the site being near us all, many attendees had never been to Olompali before, nor had they heard of the site’s history as a Coast Miwok village, Mexican period rancho, and briefly home to the Grateful Dead! Despite my aversion to public speaking, I led the group on a short tour around the park, taking time to stop and learn about the different buildings, site uses, and visit Olompali’s large mortar boulder (pictured above left).
| | We continued our academic adventure through Novato and west Petaluma. Our group stopped for a brief bio-break in Tomales before heading up Highway 1 to Duncans Point, our second archaeological stop of the day. The group again left their cars behind to walk around the Duncans Landing Overlook, with tremendous views of the Pacific. | | |
Here lies the Duncans Landing Rockshelter, which represents one of the oldest recorded human occupation sites on the Northern California Coast (9,000 years before present!). The site is significant to both Pomo and Coast Miwok peoples, and I recounted the legend of creator god Coyote.
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Our Porsches enjoyed cool coastal temperatures as we continued up Highway 1 to our final destination, Fort Ross. Hank, our wonderful tour guide, explained the history of this State Park and its use as a Russian fur trade outpost as we ate our picnic lunches. We also had a chance to explore every building at the site. Have you ever felt a sea otter pelt? So soft!
The day was longer than I expected. Organizing, leading, and presenting all at once was hectic and tiring. But it also was a ton of fun, and I heard several people say “That was awesome. We should do more events like this!” If you couldn’t make it this time or want to come again, I do plan to organize one or two similar events next year. If you really can’t wait that long, the driving instructions are available on our club RideWithGPS page. Just don’t forget a (free from your local library) CA Parks Pass!
And thanks to Katherine Zimmer-Burke and Essy Fariab, we have photos available on our Flickr!
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Ben Davoren
Redwood Charity Liaison
Halloween is on its way, costumes will be everywhere, and kids will be eating candy for weeks. That just might include older, retired kids “helping” the young ones get rid of the good stuff. If you’d like to help the community balance out those calories with something more wholesome, don’t forget to sign up for another Redwood Region “Charity Adventure Tour” (our seventh) at the Redwood Empire Food Bank. On Thursday November 12th we will have an optional one-hour driving tour starting in Windsor from 9-10, then a fun-but-productive three-hour work shift from 10-1 at the Food Bank, followed by a hosted lunch at the Barley & Bine Beer Café in Windsor. (You buy any alcoholic beverage while the club buys your food.)
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As of October 2nd , there are still 15 slots open for our 20-member “Team Redwood”. Register using our MSR link. Registration will close November 5th. I hope to see you there. You could help fill in our picture!
In other charity news, Homeward Bound of Marin will be having their second annual “Trunk or Treat” Halloween event on October 28th and we have several Redwood Region members who will be attending. Look for highlights in next month’s dR.
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I am happy to report that the Redwood Region will, once again, participate the Toys for Tots Program for Sonoma County. Last year we collected more than 200 Toys thanks to our generous membership and to our sponsors! Each year we exceed the number of toys donated from the previous year - let’s do it again this year!!
Over the next two months, we and our sponsors will be collecting toys and books for the Toys for Tots program of Sonoma County. The donation boxes will begin appearing in our sponsors’ lobbies over the next few weeks. The boxes will remain there until the week of December 7th at which time the toys will be collected. Unwrapped toys can also be brought to our Holiday Party at Torches Restaurant in Petaluma on December 12!!
Let's continue to provide for deserving kids, of all ages, in Sonoma County!
| | Membership Reports and Information | | |
Brad Williams
Membership Director
Per usual, this October Membership Report recognizes Redwood Region changes that occurred during the previous month, September. At the end of September, our Redwood Region had a total of 1,194 Members/Co-members, a decrease of eight members from the end of July (773 Primary Members and 421 Co-Members). Seven of these joined PCA, and the Redwood Region, in September. Two members transferred in to the Redwood Region although four transferred out. We had two new persons subscribe to our Test Drive program. Currently, there are 18 Test Drive subscriptions from the Redwood Region. The Test Drive program is a great way for future Porsche owners to learn about Porsche and the PCA while searching for their perfect first Porsche. The resources available to the members are quite extensive. If you know someone looking for their first Porsche, have them check it out.
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Forty-nine of our Redwood Region members will celebrate their five year, or more, PCA Membership anniversaries in October. They are shown in the table below. For October, our longest tenured PCA member is Allen Barbieri. Look for Allen driving his, what else, 356 (a 1961) around Santa Rosa. Allen has been a PCA member for all of 57 great years.
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I recently sold my 2015 Porsche Macan S. I have a full set of winter wheels (German Alutec 18”) with Michelin snows mounted and balanced by Bill Pagnano (the best) at his shop in Santa Rosa. Pictures tell the story - very little use, clean, near-new tread on all four.
$1,200 for the set OBO. Pickup only at my home in Geyserville, unless nearby in which case I might consider delivery.
Price: $1,200 OBO
Contact Jonathan
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18" Porsche OEM wheels with Yokohama Advan Tires | |
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Set of 4 wheels in very good used condition.
See photos.
FRONT: 8x18
981.362.120.04
57mm offset
235-40 Yokohama Advan A/S tires (~5mm tread depth)
REAR: 9x18
981.362.122.04
47mm offset
265-40 Yokohama Advan A/S tires (~3mm tread depth)
Used but not abused, selling due to sale of car. This was its spare set.
Location: Novato
Price: $1,200
Contact Stacy
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Brian Adkins
Zone 7 Representative
Email
October has always felt like a great month to own a Porsche. I think my Porsches run their best in fall. Not too hot, good relative air density & not needing to avoid any storms.
The summer heat begins to fade, the mornings are cooler, and some of our best driving weather is still ahead. It’s a perfect time to find a favorite road, join a tour, chase a few cones, spend a day at the track, or bring that freshly detailed Porsche out for a Concours. And while the calendar may tell us the year is beginning to wind down, Zone 7 certainly isn’t!
There are still plenty of opportunities to drive, compete, volunteer, socialize, and try something new before we close out 2026. Take another look at your Region calendar—and then look beyond it. One of my favorite challenges to our members continues to be: go visit another Region. You already know you have at least one thing in common with everyone when you arrive!
So put a few more miles on that Porsche. Say yes to an event you haven’t tried before. And, most importantly, have some FUN.
Read all of Brian's In the Zone here!
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2026 Sacramento Valley Region (SVR) Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) Rally Series
- Open to all members in all Regions.
The Sacramento Valley Region (SVR) of the Porsche Club of America will be hosting a series of Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) road rallies that start at various locations within the greater Sacramento Region. The rallies are scheduled for Saturdays with the first car departing at 9:31 AM. They will typically be 90 to 120 miles in length and less than four hours in duration. The rallies will have reasonably easy to follow directions using mostly scenic low volume paved roads.
- Route instructions will be consumable for the beginning rallyist but still providing challenges and learning experiences for all participants.
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Time and location details for all events will be posted to the SVR website svr-pcaor.org
- Registration for all events will be through MotorsportReg.
- The entry fee for each event will be $25 per car. Entry requires a street-legal vehicle, a licensed and insured driver, a navigator, and a smart device (e.g., cell phone or tablet) running the FREE Richta GPS Competitor ‘app.’
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Click here for a list of upcoming PCA events (the national website).
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PCA Treffen @ Sea 2026 – West Coast Wine Cruise, September 19th -25th
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Victory at Petit Le Mans!
Congratulations to the No. 6 Porsche 963 on taking the overall win at Petit Le Mans and to Porsche Penske Motorsport for becoming the first team to win the endurance classics at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta in the same season.
Read More
| | Find our event photos on Flickr | | |
Eileen Gaines
Secretary
The next Board Meeting will be on Tuesday, October 27th, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Torches in Petaluma at 256 Petaluma Blvd North.
Our monthly Board meetings are open to all Redwood Region Members. The club will buy your dinner; you pay for your beverage.
If you’re interested in joining the next meeting via Zoom, send me an email and I will forward you the meeting link.
Send me an email to read previous Board meeting minutes.
| | Dress in style and get your Redwood Region branded items in our Goodie Store. | | Visit Redwood's online Goodie Store here. | | |
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 sponsorship director 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!
Connor Newton
der Riesenbaum Editor
Porsche Club of America, Redwood Region
| | | Cover photo courtesy of Paige Gaines | | | | |
