official newsletter finger lakes region porsche

WINTER, 2013
OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER
FINGER LAKES REGION
PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA
Winter, 2013
On The Cover
President’s Message
3
¡A Toda Velocidad!
5
Calendar of Events 2014
6
Where Am I In IMS?
7
Meet Up at Belhurst Castle
11
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
13
Fall Tour
22
Membership News
23
The Exchange
24
Finger Lakes Officers and Volunteers 24
On The Cover: 1983 Porsche 956, Derek Bell, Stefan Bellof
Wikipedia: The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for
the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It was later upgraded to the 956B in 1984. Driven by Stefan Bellof in 1983, this car holds the alltime record for the fastest vehicle ever to lap the famed Nürburgring’s Nordschleife , completing the 20.81 km (12.93 mi) circuit in 6:11.13.
Photo taken by David Schwaner
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Frontrunner is a publication of the Finger Lakes Region of the Porsche Club of America. All rights are reserved.
Permission is granted to reproduce any material published herein, provided the full credit is given the Frontrunner
and the author. Material published herein, reprinted with the permission or courtesy of another agent may NOT be
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Editor/Designer: Karen Schwartzman ([email protected])
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FRONTRUNNER PG. 2
Finger Lakes Reflections
As 2014 draws to a close, we are all
starting to “hunker” down to withstand the
long winter’s chill as our P-cars (OK, not
Cayennes) are nestled under their covers
waiting for the warmth of spring. Looking
back over the past 12 months, there was
noticeably more participation at this year’s
Meetups” and tours countered with fewer
cars at our annual Car Show & Meetup in
Hammondsport despite warm and sunny
weather. The Fall Tour designed by Tour
Meister Art Salo had 15 Porsches and
about 25 members who traveled a twisting
route through western New York’s hills
and valleys, deep into the southerly area
of our Region’s territory before turning
north to the westerly most Finger Lake
and concluding the tour at the North
Shore Grill.
Prior to the run, I was able to distribute six
or seven more FLK name badges to our
members and took order for another six
for family/affiliate members during dinner
that afternoon. The name badges are
provided to each member without cost, but
you have to show up at a FLK Region
event to pick it up, or stop by to see me in
Canandaigua.
If you haven’t visited our web site
(www.flk.pca.org) lately, you should log on
and note that we have a Goodie Store
from which you can order a variety of
clothing and bags with the Finger Lakes
Region logo, embroidered or printed. Also,
note that (as of Dec. 6th) the “odometer”
registers’ 1287 which means that there
have been nearly 800 unique hits (the
FRONTRUNNER PG. 3
odometer started at 500) on our web site
since it was launched in the fall of last
year. That’s pretty incredible when you
factor in that we have only 91 primary
members plus about 60 family/affiliate
members.
As you all know by now, this is an
election year. The Finger Lakes Region
elects officers on a bi-annual cycle with
a two term limit. I would like to thank
Rod Pedersen who has served four
years as vice-president for his input and
participation in planning and organizing
club activities. Rod lives and works in
Hammondsport
and
because
of
commitments to his business, was
unable to run for the office of president.
I would also like to thank Jim Butler for
dutifully serving as out Treasurer for the
past four years. Jim is one of the
founding members of the Finger Lakes
Region in 1995.
The Finger Lakes Region annual
meeting will be held on Saturday,
January 11th from 9 AM to noon at the
Inn on the Lake in Canandaigua. The
meeting is open to all members as we
welcome your ideas for club activities for
2014. Coffee, juice and Danish are
complementary for all who venture out to
Canandaigua on a cold January
morning.
Best wishes to all for the holidays.
David Schwaner
President
Sue Miller models new name tag.
FRONTRUNNER PG. 4
Name tags are
available for all
members of
Finger Lakes PCA.
Contact
David Schwaner or
Mike Hortiatis.
¡A Toda Velocidad!*
Luis A. Martínez
We present to you the Winter 2013 edition of The FrontRunner! It has been a very long time
that we present four editions within one calendar year, so that’s worth celebrating. But wait,
there’s more!
Earlier this year in our Frontrunner we had a great story by Audrey and Ernie Schmidt on the
Porsche Driving School in Alabama. We also wrote about the 48 Hours of the Glen event, which
is huge in Zone One and it takes place in our own backyard – Watkins Glen International. In
June, we had a beautiful day and gorgeous cars for the 17th Annual Finger Lakes Region Meet
Up in Hammondsport, NY. Our Summer Run, with a route put together by Dave Schwaner and
Art Salo, took the long string of member Porsches on a drive culminating in dinner at the
Taughannock Farms Inn. In September we had our last Monthly Meet Up at beautiful Belhurst
Castle, on Seneca Lake in Geneva, NY. The weather was rather nippy so we sat inside with our
food and drink but I went out and took a photo of the magnificence of Seneca Lake in the late
afternoon.
On Sunday October 6 we ended our year’s activities with a Fall Run and Dinner. Art Salo put
together another memorable drive to absorb the
gorgeous scenery of the Finger Lake during
foliage season. And Art also wrote the story
about this event as well. Great job, Art! In
previous editions I informed our readers about
my favorite way to enjoy our fantastic cars, on
the track, and I went into substantial detail
about Porsches and track events.
This year we mourned the passing of one of our
active members for many years, Scott
Carey…may he be resting in peace and his
daughter and family comforted.
Please take and submit your own photos and
notes and even articles about your activities and
fun as Porsche owners. Let’s enjoy our Club
driving around beautiful lakes, adjoining roads
and villages, wineries, historic sites and a world renowned sports car racing track. Happy
Holidays!
*At Maximum Speed!
FRONTRUNNER PG. 5
UP NEXT….
FINGER LAKES
REGION PCA
January 11, 2014
Finger Lakes Region
Annual Planning Meeting
Porsche Club of America
Finger Lakes Region
(tentative)
CALENDAR 2014
Inn on the Lake
“Let’s be on the water…”
January 11
Jan. 25-26
February
March 15
March
April
April 20
May
May
May 28
May 31
June 8
June
June
June
June
25
June
July
July
July
July 30
August
August 27
September
Sept. 24
October
Oct.
November
FRONTRUNNER PG. 6
Finger Lakes Region Annual Planning Meeting, Inn on the Lake
Rolex 24 at Daytona, FL
Tech Tactics East, at Porsche Technical Facility, Easton, PA
12 Hours of Sebring, FL
Zone 1 President’s Meeting in Latham, NY
Finger Lakes Region Spring Run to the Glen, Watkins Glen Opener
Central PA Porsche-Only Swap Meet, Hershey Park, Hershey, PA
Zone 1 Rally & Concours
Driver’s Ed, Niagara Region, Watkins Glen
Finger Lakes Region Meet Up
June 2 Porsche Clash, Watkins Glen, Zone 1 Club Race
Finger Lakes Region Meet Up and Car Show, Hammondsport, NY
Zone 1 48 Hours Driver’s Education at The Glen
Driver’s Education, Niagara Region, Watkins Glen, NY
PCA Parade
Finger Lakes Region Meet Up
Sahlen’s 6 Hours at the Glen, professional racing
SCCA Glen Double Nationals at Watkins Glen
Finger Lakes Region Summer Run
American Le Mans Series race at Lime Rock Park, CT
Finger Lakes Reg. Meet Up
Zone 1 Autocross, TBD
Finger Lakes Region Meet Up
U.S. Vintage Grand Prix Festival, Watkins Glen, NY
Finger Lakes Region Meet Up
Finger Lakes Region Fall Run and Dinner
PCA Escape 2014
Zone 1 President’s Meeting in Latham, NY
This article courtesy of Dan Jacobs, published in the Challenge September 2013 edition,
PCA Connecticut Valley Region.
FRONTRUNNER PG. 7
FRONTRUNNER PG. 8
FRONTRUNNER PG. 9
FRONTRUNNER PG. 10
Meet Up at Belhurst Castle
By Luis Martinez
During our lovely summer weather we enjoyed a number of Meet Ups on
the evening of the last Wednesday of each summer month. I believe I
started this tradition several years ago, mimicking several other clubs in the
area which also have Meet Ups on a weekday. I remember, for example,
scheduling a PCA Finger Lakes Meet Up at the parking lot of Wegmans in
Canandaigua, to join (and effectively crash…) another hot rod meet up
taking place there on the same evening. Trouble was, I was often the only
representative from PCA-FLK. Oh, well.
PCA Finger Lakes Region members gather around fireplace at Stonecutter's lounge
Fast forward to this year, on Wednesday September 25 we held our last
summer Meet Up at the beautiful and historic Belhurst Castle, on the
western shore of Seneca Lake, Geneva.
(Wikipedia) Architect Albert W. Fuller designed the imposing Belhurst stone
mansion in the Romanesque Revival style, popular in the last two decades
of the nineteenth century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic
Places in 1987. Belhurst Castle has two restaurants, Edgar's and
Stonecutters, a spa, two ballrooms to host weddings and the inn. Belhurst
Castle has been used as a casino, supper club, and speakeasy.
FRONTRUNNER PG. 11
Sun sets gently over Seneca Lake on
chilly evening at Belhurst Castle
A nice number of members were on
hand for our last Meet Up, and although we had hoped for warmer weather that was
one chilly late summer evening, so we gathered by the fireplace in Stonecutters for food
and drinks.
Please plan to join us next year for our Meet Ups on the last Wednesday of each month,
from May to September!
Grateful for another wonderful summer, we start planning for next year
FRONTRUNNER PG. 12
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
In 1965 I had a newspaper route. Every day after school I rode my bicycle and
delivered door to door The Evening Journal to my customers in Dover, Delaware.
One of those customers was the mother of this cute new girl in town, Sharon. I
was trying to convince Sharon’s Mom to extend her newspaper subscription with
me so I could get enough points to win a trip to Indianapolis. Oh, what a dream
that was (no, not the girl) - to go to Indianapolis and watch the race!
Front straight towards Turn One
FRONTRUNNER PG. 13
Well, I didn’t get enough points to win the
trip to Indy. But I did get the girl (consolation
prize?), so Sharon and I have been married
for 42 years. Which is how long I had to wait
to see Indianapolis!
With Sharon on track at base of the
famous Pagoda
I finally got the chance to go to see the track and museum, but not the race, in
October. I was contracted to do a presentation to a national conference of
engineers in Indianapolis. After all my work was done for the conference, Sharon
and I took a taxi to the world famous track, in the town called Speedway, Indiana,
about 6 miles out of the center of Indianapolis.
Wow, what a place! So much history, going back 100 years! The track was built in
1909. In those early years, there were many automobile manufacturers in the
area who wanted to test their new creations on something other than dirt roads
(there were only about 150 miles of paved roads, in the U.S). Four businessmen
joined forces and built a huge motor parkway to test their new autos. They then
also invited entrants to race their cars. But the first competition event at the track
in 1909 was – a gas filled balloon race.
FRONTRUNNER PG. 14
The first Indianapolis 500 race, held in 1911,
was a spectacular success and the race has
taken place every year except during the First
and Second World Wars. Numerous
inventions, now taken for granted, were
designed and vigorously tested with ever
faster racing cars at Indy: turbocharging,
supercharging, high-compression, front wheel
drive, four wheel drive, hydraulic shock
absorbers, four wheel brakes, hydraulic
brakes, suspension systems, experimental
fuels and lubricants, low profile tires,
composite materials, crashworthy fuel
systems, aerodynamic designs, and the rear
view mirror. Another first at the IMS was the
notion of a Pace Car, which had a role on the
Ray Harroun welded a rear view mirror on his
very first Indy 500 on May 30, 1911. The purse
Marmon Wasp and won the first Indy 500
for that first 500 mile race was $25,000, with
$10,000 to the winner, a fabulous sum at a time when wages were $200/year, and you could
buy a beer and a sandwich for a nickel. Ever the entrepreneurs, one of the founders of IMS was
Carl Fisher, who also developed some swampland into what we now call Miami Beach.
First Indy 500 winner
1911 Marmon Wasp
FRONTRUNNER PG. 15
During our visit to Indy, my main
agenda was the museum, which is a
96,000 sq ft building dedicated to
curator-maintained cars dating back
to the original race winner from 102
years ago, the Marmon Wasp, which
was piloted by Ray Harroun. It was
Harroun who under duress created
the rearview mirror. Why? Because
he had decided that for the race he
would not carry a riding mechanic, as
was the custom, so he could
streamline his car and save weight
(really? In 1911?). When other
competitors objected on safety grounds that he could not see the other racers, he fashioned a
rear view mirror. Harroun won the race at an average speed of 74.6 mph in 6 hours 42 minutes.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
When you go to the track, make
sure you take the bus tour of one
lap around the track. Even at very
slow speeds, as the bus enters each
of the four corners of the 2.5 mile
oval, you can’t even imagine going
into each of those four corners A
Toda Velocidad, at maximum
speed, without lifting! That, gentle
reader, means driving in and
through each of the four corners at
about 230+ miles per hour. And
that’s just one lap. Now do that lap
249 more times. In race traffic.
Front straight approaching finish line
There are many automobiles to see in the museum, and even more memorabilia to scrutinize.
The museum staff is mostly volunteers, many of whom have volunteered thousands of hours
over 30 or 40 years. Some of them tell stories of things that they witnessed at the track in the
1950’s, so they are armed with facts and anecdotes.
Don’t wait 42 years to see the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Book your tickets now, for the
spring - for the race!
FRONTRUNNER PG. 16
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Our guide explains at the Pagoda
Looking up at the Pagoda
FRONTRUNNER PG. 17
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Museum, with first Indy 500 winner, Marmon Wasp in foreground
IMS museum entries
FRONTRUNNER PG. 18
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
1954 Mercedes Benz W196, a dominant car of its era driven by my idol, Juan
Manuel Fangio.
Zora Atkus Duntov's 1957 SS Corvette
FRONTRUNNER PG. 19
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
1963 Willard Battery Special, Parnelli Jones. Willard became Exide Batteries,
where I worked in the 1980s.
1965 Ferrari 250 LM piloted by one of my favorite American racers,
Masten Gregory, and Jocken Rindt. They won Le Mans.
FRONTRUNNER PG. 20
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
1966 Mario Andretti Ford V8 Indy winner
Johnny Rutherford's 1980 winner, a Chaparral
FRONTRUNNER PG. 21
FALL TOUR
By Art Salo
Ah, the weather prediction for Sunday, October 6th was for rain. But for those brave Finger Lakes
Porsche Club members who participated in the fall tour, they were blessed with an absolutely perfect
sunny day. In fact, so warm and beautiful that those members with Porsches having removable tops
were able to remove them at the very start of the tour.
The Bristol Mountain Winter Resort seems to have become our club’s favorite tour starting point, being
sort of centrally located near Canandaigua Lake and almost exactly half way between Lake Ontario, at
the northern border of the Finger Lakes Region and our southern border at the Pennsylvania state line.
Along with the newer water cooled Porsches and a small assortment of air cooled 911s, there were two
four cylinder air cooled Porsches that managed to keep up, very nicely with their more powerful
brethren. The oldest was a white 1963 356 Cabriolet owned and driven by Hank Kramer along with his
co-pilot Trish Guttenberg, and the only slightly newer 1967 Porsche 912 coupe owned and driven by Bill
Badger with his wife Beverly.
From Bristol Mountain Winter Resort, on Route 64, the tour swung south but soon left Route 64
favoring back roads to avoid traffic and traffic lights in the village of Naples. The twisting back roads
treated the group to colorful mountain overlooks and valley vistas. We eventually came down off the
first of the mountains to once again join a state route, this time, Route 53 and continuing south to our
rest stop just north of the hamlet of Kanona. Next we re-entered back roads just beyond Kanona and
wound our way south, before turning back north at the hamlet of Cameron hidden in a beautiful valley
with the meandering Canisteo River and seldom used railroad tracks. From Cameron we headed
northwest along County Road 119 toward the village of Canisteo but turned north up Stephens Gulch
Road which led to several roads along the top of mountains with gorgeous 360 degree views of the fall
foliage. We continued north passing over the Southern Tier Expressway and eventually reaching State
Route 21. Again, avoiding small town traffic lights we zig-zagged our way north until we reached Route
15 just south the village of Springwater. From there we continued northwest to the foot of Conesus Lake
and followed East Lake Road north to its conclusion at Route 15 and the end of our tour.
The joy of such a tour is not only seeing the beautiful fall colors but driving over infrequently traveled
back roads to places few have ever been and enjoying beautiful cars that few have ever experienced. Of
course, our members have a wealth of memories and stories to share about the Porsches they own now
and have owned previously. Some of these stories were shared over dinner in a banquet room at the
North Shore Grill looking out over Conesus Lake.
Hopefully all who participated had a great time and are looking forward to our spring tour once again
through the beautiful Finger Lakes to Watkins Glen International for opening weekend in late April.
FRONTRUNNER PG. 22
FINGER LAKES REGION PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Welcome to our new members:
Frederick Geyer
1996 911 4S Blue
Daniel Banaszak
1983 944 Red
Stephen Haight
2013 911 4S Gray
Michael Sutton
1982 924 White
Harry Trueheart
2010 Boxster Silver
Congratulations to Karl Schmitt, 15th Anniversary (12/1/98).
FINGER LAKES REGION
PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA
PROFILE
MEMBERSHIP PROFILE
Less than 3 Years
Less than 10 Years
Over 10 Years
TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERS
FRONTRUNNER PG. 23
AGE OF OUR PORSCHES
Less than 5 years
Less than 10 years
Less than 15 years
Greater than 20 years
NUMBER OF PORSCHES
14
34
43
46
NUMBER OF MEMBERS
39
66
29
%
41.1
69.5
30.5
92
100%
The Exchange
Advertising Guidelines
Finger Lakes Region
Elected Officers and Volunteers
Publication of paid advertising in the Frontrunner
does not constitute the endorsement by this
publication or the Finger Lakes Region of the
products or services set forth therein. The
Frontrunner reserves the unqualified right to
approve for publication all advertising submitted.
President
Dave Schwaner
343 North Main Street, Suite 102
Canandaigua, NY 14424
[email protected]
The Exchange Guidelines
Vice President
Rod Pedersen
9025 South Lake Road
Hammondsport, NY 14840
[email protected]
Deadline for submitting ads for the EXCHANGE to
the editor is no later than the 15th of each month to
appear in the next issue. Advertising Porsches or
Porsche parts or to solicit materials is free to
members in this section of the publication. Ads will
run for two months unless the editor is formally
notified. To place your want ad, send a note to the
editor containing your copy. Please limit copy to a
maximum of six lines. The editor reserves the right
to edit as needed for space. Ads can be email to:
Veloz36@rochester. rr.com.
Secretary
Chuck Chada
2525 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14610
Treasurer
Jim Butler
184 Park Road
Pittsford, NY 14534
[email protected]
Membership
Mike Hortiatis
42 Chelsea Park
Pittsford, NY 14534
Safety Officer
Art Salo
[email protected]
Race car for sale: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo, full
roll cage, interior white metal, two racing seats and
harnesses. Fast and lightweight. Too many options to
mention. Turnkey racer. Many more photos available:
$14,900. Write or call Luis: 585-766-9536
[email protected]
FRONTRUNNER PG. 24
Newsletter Editor
Luis A. Martinez
P.O. Box 242
Pittsford, NY 14534
[email protected]