May 2010 - Porsche Club of America – Chesapeake Region

PORSCHE
PATTER
The Monthly Newsletter of the
Chesapeake Region, PCA
May 2010
Number 566
PORSCHE
PATTER
April 2010
Number 566
Officers
President
Don Malson
Exec Vice President
John Patterson
Vice President
Cheryl Taylor
Secretary
Donna Brandt
Treasurer
Jim Condax
Past President
Andrew Toth
Committee Chairs and Staff
Autocross
Ron Bremer &
Claude Taylor
Community Service
Vacant
Concours
Ron Gordon
Drivers’ Ed
Tim Costa
Membership
Jan Borchardt
Sponsorship
Vacant
PCA License Plates
Bruce & Laurie Tarsia
Tech Sessions
John Patterson
Publicity
Bernie Blain
Tour Meister
Allen Gunzelman
Patter Editors
Mark Hubley &
Manrico Mirabelli
Webmaster
Andrew J. Toth
Historian
Bob Rassa
Rally Master
Steve Kinsley
Insurance
Bernie Blain
Social
Steve Condax
Zone 2 Representative
Tom Zaffarano
The Porsche Patter is published monthly. Articles from members are welcomed and encouraged
and should be sent electronically to the Porsche Patter Editors by the last day of the month
preceding publication. The Editors reserve the right to edit or reject all material submitted for
publication, including advertisements, and the right to cancel advertisements at any time, for any
reason, at their sole discretion. Statements appearing in Porsche Patter are those of the
contributing authors and do not constitute the opinions or policy of The Chesapeake Region,
Porsche Club of America, its Board of Directors, or the Editors of the newsletter. Permission granted
to reproduce material published, provided full credit is given to the Porsche Patter and to the
author. The Chesapeake Region, Porsche Club of America, neither endorses any advertiser nor
warrants any product or service they may provide.
Cover photo: Taken at the New Member Party by Manrico Mirabelli
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In this issue . . .
President’s Message.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
What’s on Your Playlist?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
New Member Party. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Membership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
April Get Together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Upcoming Events.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Trivia Question.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
From the Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
National News, On-Track Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
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President’s Message
by Don Malson
The month of May presents many opportunities for
club members to participate in a wide range of
activities. There will be one event each weekend for
the first four weekends in May: weekend #1
Autocross, weekend #2 Retro Tour, weekend #3
Monthly Social, and weekend #4 Porsche Family
Picnic. Details of these events can be found on the
Chesapeake Region website and in the Porsche
Patter.
I am pleased to announce that Steve Condax has
volunteered for and been appointed to the position of
Social Chair. His first arranged event in April was
held at the Dark Horse Saloon in Bel Air, Maryland, and it was well attended. The location for May
is the Red Star Bar & Grill in Baltimore’s historic Fells Point. Steve said that as the Region’s Social
Chair, his goal is to move away from pre-determined monthly dinners and host events across the
region that would be more interesting and diverse than anything we have done before. It is my hope
that this approach will bring out our non-active membership and encourage new member
participation. Varying the time and day will allow members whose schedules do not fit the 7:00 PM,
2nd Wednesday of the month time slot to participate.
Help Wanted! Two chair positions are still vacant: Community Service and Sponsorship. If you are
interested and would like to chair one of these positions, please contact me. For others who may
want to participate but cannot serve as chair, please consider becoming a co-chair.
I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.
Best regards,
Donald Malson, President
Chesapeake Region, PCA
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Tech
What’s on Your Playlist?
by Mark Hubley
Now it all fits in my shirt pocket!
In August, 1985, I packed up my ‘83 Nissan Sentra hatchback and headed for college. At least half
of the space in that car was occupied by my stereo and speakers, over 100 vinyl LP’s, a nearly
equal number of cassette tapes, and about a dozen CD’s, which were still a novelty at the time. To
my continual amazement, here in the year 2010 I can store all that music and more in a device that
fits in my shirt pocket! Unbelievable . . . No more buying cassettes to make mix tapes. No more
buying an LP and immediately copying it to cassette so I can play it in my car. No more shuttling
CD’s in and out of the car. It’s all on my Creative Labs Zen 16GB mp3 player.
The first thing I did after loading music onto the Zen is make various playlists. For those of you still
living in the 80's, that’s the equivalent of making a mix tape. One of my playlists is titled, “Road
Trip.” This is my mix with music that I find best listened to while driving. Each of the songs on my
Road Trip list has some reference (some obvious, some subtle) to cars or driving. I’ve seen debates
over whether or not a good “driving song” needs to have such a reference; in my opinion it does,
but I’m open-minded. Here are the songs currently on my Road Trip playlist:
1. L.A. Woman (The Doors). “Driving down your freeway”
2. Mercedes Benz (Janis Joplin). “My friends all drive Porsches” Need I say more?
3. Paradise by the Dashboard Light (Meat Loaf). The title says it all.
4. Red Barchetta (Rush). “Sunlight on chrome, the blur of the landscape, every nerve aware”
5. Radar Love (Golden Earring). “I’ve been driving all night, my hands wet on the wheel”
6. Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf). “Get your motor runnin’, head out on the highway”
7. Everyday is a Winding Road (Sheryl Crow). Perhaps a bit out of place, but I like it.
8. Blue Chevrolet (The Beat Farmers). “There goes a red-headed lady in a blue Chevrolet” A rather
obscure band from the 80's, probably best described as a mix of country and rock-and-roll. For
$0.99 you can get the song from Amazon, so give it a try.
9. Buy Me a Car (The Beat Farmers). “Make sure it’s loaded with style, slick, yeah, and quick in the
quarter mile” A really great song for any car guy–definitely worth the $0.99!
10. Low Rider (War). “All my friends know the low rider”
11. Bitchin’ Camaro (Dead Milkmen). “Bitchin’ Camaro, bitchin’ Camaro, donuts on your lawn,
bitchin’ Camaro, bitchin’ Camaro, Tony Orlando and Dawn” Pure poetry.
If you have any suggestions for more road trip songs, send them to Mark. I’ll publish them in a
forthcoming issue of the Patter.
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New Member Party
by Jan Borchardt
Close to 70 PCA Chesapeake new members,
old members, friends, family, and board
members gathered at the Maryland State
Police and Correctional Officers Training
facility in Sykesville, MD, on April 3rd for the
2010 New Members’ Party.
activities. The Purgasons set up their
fabulous promotion of the Boxster Register.
Prizes were awarded for the car show and to
new members. No new member went home
empty-handed.
The prizes were generously contributed by GT
Performance, Ralph’s Auto Service, Tischer
Porsche, At Speed Motorsports, and the club.
A very special “thank you” goes to Dan Dazzo
for the use of his splendid facility. After all,
it’s not everyone who has a high-speed track
in his or her back yard.
It was a gorgeous day to enjoy the car show,
coordinated by Ron Bremer, Steve Kinsley,
and Chuck and Sher Marshall. We also
enjoyed rides on the high-speed track in the
brand new Panamera provided by Tischer
Porsche of Silver Spring. Bruce and Laurie
Tarsia coordinated this and I’m sure the ride
was the high point of the day for most of us.
It was awesome!
Inside the facility, all enjoyed a light lunch and
visited with board members who were
promoting and explaining the various events
and services of our regional club activities.
Dan Dazzo presented information about the
training facility. Ron Bremer promoted
autocross. Allen Gunzelman distributed tour
schedules. Laurie and Bruce Tarsia explained
how and why to get PCA license plates. Steve
Kinsley presented a mini-rallye to acquaint
new members with rallying and to provide
ways to get the information about the club
Photos by Manrico Mirabelli
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Membership
by Jan Borchardt
PCA Chesapeake Membership Report for April 2010
Summary:
Primary Members 635
Affiliate Members 487
Total Members
1,122
New Members:
Mandeep Chhabra
Crownsville, MD
2007
911 C4S cab
Mark Kissel
Annapolis, MD
1983
911
Peter Mullaly
St. Michaels, MD
1977
911
Ivon Paulin
Annapolis, MD
1983
911
Trevor Simm
Crownsville, MD
2010
911 C4S
David Ward
Baltimore, MD
1983
944
April Anniversaries:
5 years
Antonino Barbaro, Gary Bartlett, Gerald Benzing, Scott Borden, Girard Coffman,
Catalina DeJohn, Charles Goldsborough, Edwin Janes, Michele Magness, and Michael
Reinhard
10 years
Steven McWilliam
15 years
Steven Parker and Gregory Skalla
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April Get Together
by Steve Condax
The setting was the April Get Together at the
Dark Horse Saloon, and the weather was
P-car perfect. Twenty-seven members in
fourteen Porsches turned out for the region’s
first monthly Get Together of the year. It was
an evening of good food, socializing, meeting
old friends, and making new ones.
that everyone can look for one in their back
yard.Be sure to check our web site
www.pcachs.org, look for an email in your
inbox, and mark your calendar so you can join
us at our next event.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
I intend to follow up on the commitment by
Don Malson, Region President, to have these
Get Togethers spread out geographically so
Photos by Steve Condax
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Upcoming Events
For the latest news concerning upcoming Chesapeake Region events, please refer to the events calendar on
the Region’s web site. Here are some highlights . . .
Monthly board meetings are generally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
Chesapeake Region Family Picnic, Saturday, May 22
The first annual Chesapeake Region PCA Family Picnic will be held on May 22 from 3:00 PM until
dark at the Susquehanna State Park in Harford County. Steve Kinsley, our Rally Master, is
developing a fun rally prior to the picnic which will end at the park. More details will be sent via
e-mail and posted on the club website.
The park is located along the Susquehanna River valley and offers a wide variety of outdoor
recreational opportunities including hiking, fishing, and boating. History buffs will enjoy the
restored Rock Run Historic Area with its working grist mill, the Archer Mansion, Jersey Toll House
and the remains of the Susquehanna Tidewater Canal.
Ice Cream Cottage Tour, Thursday, June 17
The Ice Cream Cottage has always been a great destination after a fun drive through the
countryside. On June 17th we will meet at the Commons Corporate Center, 1330 Dorsey Rd,
Hanover, MD 21076. Meet in the lot near Dunkin Donuts at 6:00 PM and we will leave at 6:30. We
will drive “Porsche roads” for about 45 minutes, then end at the Ice Cream Cottage, 1348 Stevens
Ave, Halethorpe, MD 21227 (410-247-3620). Allen Gunzelman, Tourmeister ([email protected]).
Mini-Car-Show, Thursday, July 22
And, NO, we’re not talking about the little cars from BMW! On July 22nd there will be a fun mini-carshow of our Porsches at the Sunshine Grille. Arrive at 6:00 PM for good food, the opportunity to
show off your Porsche, and a fun-but-relaxing evening. The Sunshine Grille is located at 12607 Fork
Rd., Fork, MD 21051 (410-592-3378). Go to www.sunshinegrille.com for details of their menu.
Allen Gunzelman, Tourmeister ([email protected]).
Trivia Question
This one is a bit of a softball, but given the new members party article, this might be some good
information for the newbies: Why did Porsche change the name of its successor to the 356 from
901 to 911?
Look for the answer on the next page.
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From the Editors
by Mark and Manrico
Dear Fellow Porsche Fans,
We hope folks out there are reading the Patter. Given instant access to information via the
Internet, the role of a newsletter appears to be in flux. Perhaps some of you are keeping copies,
either as electronic files or by printing them. We hope so!
As we are new to the newsletter publication business, we will appreciate any comments you have
for us. An occasional “letter to the editors” would be great, and as long as the content is suitable
for a family publication, we’d be happy to print some.
As always, we are counting on your help in submitting event articles and photos, making us aware
of upcoming events, and generally giving us suggestions for the Patter. Please contact us by e-mail
at [email protected] or chat us up in person the next time you see us.
Answer to the trivia question:
French car-maker Peugeot objected to the use of a three-digit number with a zero as the middle
digit. They had been using that scheme for some time. I’m not sure if it ever went to litigation, but
Porsche made the change from 901 to 911.
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National News
Am I Covered While Driving On-Track?
Each year Porsche Club of America Regions organize many high-performance driver’s education
events. Over the years PCA has earned a tremendous reputation for putting on educational, safe,
and structured events. These events target what PCA members are most passionate about –
appreciating the fine automobiles they own in a way that just can’t be recognized in daily street
driving.
For many years PCA driving enthusiasts had a sense of comfort knowing that their standard auto
policies covered them while participating in PCA Driver’s Education events. Most policies had
language that only excluded coverage while participating in “timed or competition events.” Since
PCA DE’s are educational in nature and untimed, most insurers would pay for damages incurred at
these events. Incidents causing damage to vehicles at PCA DE’s are rare, but when they do happen
the damage can be significant.
Around the 2003-2004 time frame, it seems that many insurance underwriters recognized the
additional exposure presented by individuals involved in DE’s and modified their exclusions section
accordingly. At the beginning, a few companies implemented new language to exclude coverage
“on a surface used for racing”, “in a performance driving event”, or even worse “at a racetrack
facility.” Since the initial rollout of the exclusions, it seems that the majority of auto insurers have
followed suit with these restrictive exclusions for individuals involved in DE’s.
Many PCA DE enthusiast members have researched this topic in the past, prior to 2003, and
believe that they are still covered while driving in events. Enthusiasts must understand that
insurers do have the ability to change policy terms at each policy renewal. The typical policy holder
receives their renewal, looks at the bill, and sends a check to renew their policy. In the pages
following that bill, insurers include a coverage update that details any policy changes.
Unfortunately these changes often go unnoticed by insurance consumers.
For individuals involved in DE’s, it is very important to review your policy before you go to your next
track event. Many insurance consumers don’t file their current policies, but insurance agents will
always send a copy of the current policy upon request. A quick review of the exclusions section of
the policy typically reveals any language targeted at eliminating coverage while participating in
events held at racetracks. Enthusiasts’ vehicles are often the most treasured property they own, so
it is important that they do their research and understand whether coverage is included under their
standard policy while participating in DE events.
Continued on the next page
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DE Participants that do not have coverage under their standard auto policy and aren’t willing to
take the financial risk of driving on track without coverage do have options available. PCA has
partnered with Lockton Affinity, the administrator of the HPDE Insurance Program. The PCA – HPDE
Insurance Program offers single-event physical damage insurance at a very affordable rate. The
premiums are based on value, and the average premium for our members is $205 per event.
When applying, PCA members can enter their member number to receive a 10% discount on their
premium!
Do not assume that you still have coverage while participating in DE’s based on research or
questions asked of your agent years ago. Before your next event, check your policy and determine
with certainty whether you will or will not be covered in the case of an unfortunate incident that
causes damage to one of your most prized possessions. If your research shows that you do not
have coverage, consider getting supplemental through the PCA – HPDE Insurance Program:
http://pcahpdeins.locktonaffinity.com
Article courtesy of Ryan Staub, Lockton Affinity
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