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October 2009
W e s t e r n M i c h i g a n R e g i o n o f t h e P o r s c h e C l u b o f A m e r i c a
http://.wmi.pca.orgwww.pca.org
ÜBER ALLESUPCOMING ACTIVITIES
OCTOBER 2009
01 E s c ape t o t h e B i r t h p l a c e o f A v i a t i o n , h o s t e d b y Oh i o V a l l e y R eg i o n (01 - 04)
05 Month ly Meet ing 7:00pm, De l ta Imports
1 0 F a l l C o l o r To u r , h o s t e d b y Randy P o r t o l u r i
N OV EM B E R 20 0 9
02 2010 E v en t P l a nn i n g Mee t i n g , P i e t r o ’ s R e s t a u r an t
0 6 D i n ne r D r i v e , h o s t e d b y Duane & B r e nda W eed
18 D i nne r D r i v e , Sh angha i I c h i b an , h o s t e d b y Ambe rDoo r & J e r r y A r e n s
IN THIS ISSUE:
1 Fal l Color Tour
7 Pres ident ’s Letter
9 Grattan Rev iew
10 Metro Street Cruise Review
2009 Fal l Color TourOctober 10, 2009 @ 1:00pm
As summer s lowly winds down, and the temperature fa l ls , West Mich igan
exp lodes in to a spectacu lar f renzy o f co lor a long our count ry roads. What
bet ter way to en joy th is annual b laze o f g lory than in your Porsches wi th your
Porsche f r iends?
P lease jo in your hosts Paul and Renee Krapp as they gu ide us through some of
the most scen ic and tw is ty roads our area has to o f fer .
We wi l l meet a t Russ ’ Restaurant (across f rom US-31 to 120 - Fremont ex i t ) a t
1 :00pm. We wi l l depar t a t 1 :45pm.
Dinner w i l l be a t the Nor thern Tra i ls Bar & Gr i l l
(231) E 88th St reet (M82) , Newaygo MI 49337
Please check out WMR PCA’s webs i te for maps and more in format ion.
Please RSVP to: pkrapp59@hotmail .com
Aer ia l v iew o f Russ ’ Map to Nor thern Tra i ls Bar & Gr i l l (Corner o f
ÜBER ALLES
Upcoming Events Monthly Meetings will occur on 1st Monday of every month at 7PM at Delta Imports, 6025 28th St. SE Grand Rapids, 49546
Page 2October 2009
West Michigan Region - 2009 Calendar of Events (UPDATED)
O c t o b e r 1 - 4 P o r s c h e E s c a p e 2 0 0 9 D a y t o n , O H 5 B o a r d M e e t i n g 1 0 F a l l C o l o r T o u r H o s t s : P a u l & R e n e e K r a p p
N o v e m b e r 2 B o a r d M e e t i n g ( 2 0 1 0 p l a n n i n g ) 6 D i n n e r D r i v e - H o s t s : D u a n e & B r e n d a W e e d 1 8 D i n n e r D r i v e - H o s t s : A m b e r D o o r & J e r r y A r e n s D e c e m b e r 7 B o a r d M e e t i n g T B D 1 2 t h A n n u a l W M R A p p e t i z e r P a r t y - H o s t s : E & H C z a r n o p y s
November Planning Meet ing November 2 , 2009
The members of the WMR PCA are p lanning to meet on November 2 to p lan for our 2010 events. We have an
ent i re year to p lan! Did you have a great t ime at an event in the past and would l ike to do i t again in 2010? - - - come to the meet ing. Would you l ike to see a new event or dr ive
dest inat ion on the schedule? Br ing you ideas!
Remember th is is YOUR c lub! And the board needs your he lp.
The meet ing wi l l be held at P iet ro ’s I ta l ian Restaurant 2780 Bi rchcrest SE Grand Rapids, MI
(of f 28 t h St . – just west o f Breton) h t tp : / /www.rc fc .com/Piet ros/ locat ions.asp
6:00pm - Dinner (separate checks) 7:00pm - P lanning Meet ing
I f you have any quest ions p lease contact any board member.
Ted Black l idgeDan Phi l l ips
Brenda Hi ldon-KaempfAmber Door
ÜBER ALLES Page 3 October 2009
Maxf ie ld ’s RestaurantNovember 6, 2009 @ 7:00pm
Duane & Brenda Weed wi l l be host ing the November Dinner to Maxf ie ld ' s Resturant near Edmore on Fr iday November 6th for the i r
ever famous Seafood Buf fet . The Seafood Buf fet features crab l egs , f rog l egs , f resh battered shr imp, ocean perch , baked cod, Cajun cat f i sh , roast beef , barbecue r ibs , and
more for $24.99 Other i tems are a lso ava i lab le .
The Porsche c lub has reservat ions for 7pm so be fash ionab ly ear ly . Please R.S .V .P . 231 937 ‐4867 or Duane 's ce l l 231 250 ‐9624.
Maxf ie ld ' s Restaurant i s l ocated at 11228 Wyman Rd. , Blanchard , Michigan 49310 (800) 550 ‐ 5630, Loca l (989) 427 ‐ 5630
For dr iv ing di rect ions go to http ://www.maxf ie ldsrestaurant . com/restaurant/d i rect ions .php
November 18, 2009
7:00pm
Join your fe l low WMR PCA member for
Dinner , Conversat ion and a Show
at
3005 Broadmoor AVE SEGrand Rap ids MI 49512
Former ly Shang Hai Garden; Shang Hai Ich iban cont inues to serve one Western Mich igan 's f inest d in ing exper iences run by the Yang fami ly . Head Chef James Yang and h is bro thers Steve and Er ic
cont inue the i r success of 20+ years o f res taurant exper ience.
Wi th two res taurants under one roof Ich iban o f fers two un ique d in ing exper iences. Our Japanese Steakhouse o f fers a l l o f the f la re and exc i tement ; wh i le our Chinese d in ing becomes the per fec t
compl iment , o f fer ing a qu ie t , p r iva te d in ing exper ience.
Th is has been a popular d inner event for the las t severa l years . Mark you ca lendar for a n ight o f f r iends and food around the h ibach i gr i l l .
RSVP by 11/16/09
Amber Door
Amdoor242@aol .com
616 340-0971
ÜBER ALLES Page 4October 2009
Monthly Meeting Minutes:
September 14, 2009.
Del ta Imports , Grand Rapids – Meet ing was ca l led to order by Ted Black l idge at 7:07pm. Members
present were: Ted Black l idge , Dan Phi l l ips , Amber Door , Brenda Hi ldon ‐Kaempf , Rick Ri ley , Kurt
Wirth , Col in Carpenter , and Arnie Axe l rod.
Minutes : Approved.
Treasurers Report : Approved.
Webmaster : Web page i s up ‐ to ‐date . Everyth ing l ooks great!
Membersh ip Report : 245 Pr imary Members , 197 Aff i l i a te Members – tota l 442. New members
are: Ethan Powsner , Grand Rapids , ’83 911sc ; Cl i f ford S ly , Grand Haven, ’99 Boxster ; Al f red
Woody, Norton Shores , ’84 944. Transfers In : 0. Trans fers Out : 0. Non ‐ renewals : 6, Renewals : 10.
Advert is ing : From Dan: We have not yet rece ived a pdf for the Del ta ad that separates the tex t
f rom the photo . We’ve rece ived an updated photo for the Deming’s ad .
Uber : Completed August 28. Proof rece ived f rom the pr inter the fo l lowing Tuesday . Looks great!
Insurance: Insurance i s set for Grat tan . Kurt i s work ing on the insurance for the Color Tour .
Dr iv ing Events :
Grat tan DE – 37 part ic ipants are reg i s tered/pa id . 7 are reg is tered/unpa id . Amber wi l l send an
emai l blas t out as a reminder .
Old Bus iness :
IROC – Gorgeous day . Nice turn ‐out . Thanks to a l l who he lped . We may cons ider
another date next year – perhaps in August .
Go l f Out ing at Egypt Va l ley , August 7 – Hosted by Arn ie Axe l rod . Great event . 8
part i c ipants . Beaut i fu l day .
Saunter to the Shore , August 22 – Hosted by Barry and Cand is Col l i ck . Great turnout .
Nice dr ive and great camarader ie at Boatwerks in Hol land .
Metro Crui se , August 28/29 – Fr iday event at Del ta was outstand ing . 25 cars . About 12 ‐
15 part i c ipants on Saturday .
New Bus iness :
Escape, October 1 ‐4 – Dayton OH. Pre ‐ reg is t rat ion i s l i ght . Ask ing for $50 per
reg ion to support a f l yover at the end of Escape. The mot ion to donate $50 was
approved by members present .
Color Tour ‐ In format ion on the webs i te and i n the Uber .
November P lann ing Meet ing , November 2 – Piet ro ’s res taurant , Grand Rapids .
The Club i s look ing to f i l l some vacant board pos i t ions .
Appet i zer Party , December 5 – Hosted by the Cznaropys . In format ion wi l l be
posted the websi te and i n the Uber .
50 t h Anniversary – Planning i s underway. We need vo lunteers ! A suggest ion was
made to send a l e t ter or inc lude an inser t in the Uber to remind everyone about
the event . Kurt has volunteered for the Fr iday af ternoon Dinner Dr ive . Randy
Port lur i has a lso vo lunteered to he lp .
Meet ing was ad journed at 7:58pm
Respect fu l ly submi t ted by Brenda Hi ldon ‐Kaempf
Chairpersons:
Über Al les Editor: Ren Phi l l ips T: (616) 281-2459 E: Renlopes@sbcglobal .net
Advert ising: John Ki lgren T: (616) 403-2953 E: jk i lg ren@ c lark f inanc ia lgroup.com
Chief Driving Instructor: Terry Schieb le T: (269) 329-1578 E: no39rsr@sbcglobal .net
IROC Events: TBD
Safety: Cra ig Ackerman T: (616) 866-1905 E: PCAAckerman@aol .com
Insurance Coordinator: Kur t Wir th T: (616) 956-0249 E: kur twi r thsc356 @comcast .net
Registrar: Amber Door T: (616) 457-4525 E: Amdoor242@aol .com
WMR Enthusiast: L ina Spross T: (616) 987-6419 E: er icn l ina@gmai l .com
Web Master: Michael Betz (Webpage) E: Mmbetz@image-st ream.com
Renee Krapp (Uber Aces) E: krappr@tr in i ty -heal th .com
Membership Chair: Jer ry Arens T: (616) 457-4515 E: jdarens62@aol .com
Zone 4 Representat ive: Roy Wi lk inson T: (330) 733-4813 E: Rwi lk5@sbcglobal .net
ÜBER ALLES Page 5October 2009
October Anniversaries
John & Jonel le Kettman5 Years
Breton Ketner1 Year
Randy & Matt Korter ing1 Year
Tim & Doug Reid1 Year
2009 PCA Escape to the Birthplace of Aviat ion
October 1-4 , 2009
The PCA Ohio Va l ley Region inv i tes you to th is year ’s Escape in Dayton, Ohio .
Jo in us for Count ry Road Tours , Scen ic Covered Br idge Tours , the Av ia t ion Tra i l In terpre t ive Centers , and pr iva te Behind the Scenes
Tours a t the Nat iona l Museum of the Uni ted Sta tes A i r Force.
Opportun i t ies for car v iewing and d in ing are combined a t Whi te A l len Porsche, the Packard Museum, Quaker Steak & Lube, the Ta j
Ma Gara j and a t Car i l lon Park .
So come to the “Hear t o f i t A l l ” in Southwest Ohio forEscape 2009!
Register for Escape 2009 at:
ht tp : / /escape.ovrpca.org
ATLANTA - August 31, 2009 - Motor Trend Mag-azine has chosen the Porsche Cayman S as the "Best Driver's Car" for 2009. Addit ional ly, the Cayman was also picked by Brit ish car journal Auto Express as "Best Sports Car" in their New Car Awards 2009. In both cases Porsche's mid-en-gined coupe won over experts with its driving dy-namics, precision, feedback and response.
Featuring PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung), Porsche's Double-Clutch Gearbox, the Cayman S impressed Motor Trend on both regular roads and the race track, making its way to the top against nine other thoroughbred sports cars. The test team included select members of the Motor Trend staff as wel l as two professional race drivers - Randy Pobst and Mas-simi l iano "Max" Angelel l i .
With i ts circulation of 1.1 mil l ion copies and 7.6 mil-l ion readers, Motor Trend, an international ly re-nowned magazine, is acknowledged as one of the leading car magazines in the USA.
Auto Express, the Br it ish car journal, was equal ly clear in emphasizing that the Cayman leads the
sports car scene with unrelenting eff ic iency. The t it le of "Best Sports Car" was won with the ult imate blend of tract ion, balance, and agi l i ty. Apart from the characterist ic sound of the boxer engines, the tes-ters also lauded the practical qual i t ies of the Cay-man with i ts two luggage compartments and large tai lgate.
Auto Express is the best-sel l ing car journal in Great Br itain.
Along with the Porsche Boxster, the newest genera-tion of the Cayman has been avai lable since Febru-ary of this year. Its newly-developed six-cyl inder boxer engine provides exceptional fuel economy and performance - 320 horsepower del ivered by the 3.4-l iter power unit in the Cayman S and 265 hp from the 2.9-l i ter engine in the Cayman. Both models are EPA rated at 29 mpg highway and both fulf i l l the str ict EU5 emission standard in Europe and the ULEV standard in the USA.
Distinguishing itself from the other competitors in the "Best Driver's Car" competit ion, the Cayman S also remains below the fuel consumption l imit for Gas Guzzler Tax. ###
PORSCHE CAYMAN S NAMED BEST SPORTS CAR IN U.S. AND U.K.
ÜBER ALLES
1983 Porsche 930 - Pear l
whi te , 87,600 mi les. Very good
condi t ion. New par ts and
updates by Bruce at German
Auto. Pr iced at $34,500. Cal l
Jack @ (231) 937-4392
HEATED ( l imited) OR
UNHEATED SPACE - for your
car . Unheated storage is $200
for 5 months ($40/month) . For
more informat ion, ca l l Bob or
Caro l Fr iday (PCA members for
over 15 years) a t (616) 863-
9395 or emai l :
944T & 944T PARTS - 1986 944 Turbo coupe, stone gray/burg., koni 2-way cup-car coilovers, M030 front sway bar, racer's edge bushings, camber plates, Lindsey Racing stage-3 heads, MAF, intake manifold & solid lifter/cam, larger turbo, chips, adj. air/fuel, 968 - 6 speed trans., 3 sets of wheels, roll bar, sparco racing seats and belts, fiberglass rear bumper $16,000 OBO. 944T parts: Front fiberglass fenders $250, Fiberglass hood $200, Fiberglass 924T LeMans real spoiler for 944T $200, Lexan rear hatch $500, Window net $50, 944T front brake calipers $60, 944T 5-speed trans. with cooler $600, SFR stage-3 turbo $900. Prices as listed, OBO. Ron Hendrick (616) 402-0362 (NOV)
Class i f ied Ad pr ic ing for 3 month minimum: Free for Wes tern Michigan Region members . $5 .00 for PCA non-region members . $10 .00 for non-PCA members . Edi tor reserves r ight to edi t ads . P lease send informat ion and/or checks to Club Treasurer .
Page 6
FOR SALE
October 2009
Our Master Mechanics can
handle anything your car needs, from a
“pre-purchase” vehicle inspect ion or
d iagnost ic inspect ion, to a
complete engine overhaul or a rout ine tune-up. Come in for
an est imate today!
1104 Portage StreetKalamazoo, MI 49001
269-342-6994COMPLETE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE
QUALITY WORKMANSHIP FOR 17 YEARSHOURS: MONDAY - FRIDAY, 7:30AM TO 6:00PM
CLOSED SATURDAY & SUNDAY
PORSCHE SPECIALISTSBosch Authorized Service Center
We serv ice:Acura, Audi , BMW,
Honda, Lexus,Mazda, Mercedes,Nissan, Porsche,
Saab, Toyota,Volkswagen &
Volvo.
PARTS FOR SALE 944 - Control A-
arms, complete exhaust system with
catalytic converter, brake rotors, calipers,
torsion bars, coil over springs 400 lb,
design 90 wheels 7 x 8 x 16”, CV joints
with new boots, oil coolers, steering
wheel w/ air bag. 911- (930) complete
exhaust system with exchangers, oil
lines, lower front clip w/ driving lights (
black ) , transmission gear set (1st to 4th)
, turbo charger, inter-cooler, shift lever,
old style head lights.Parts are from 1989
944S2 and 1986 911/930 and pricing is
negotiable.
Call Craig Ackeaman@aol.com.
96 POLAR SILVER CABRIOLET
W/BLK TOP AND BLK. INT. 6-
sp. factory l imi ted s l ip d i f f , H i -F i
opt . CD. New Bat tery, New
Ti res, L ike New top, Many ex-
t ras. Car is in superb condi t ion.
Stored winters, e tc . . 44,300
mi les. $40,000 obo - John We-
idenfe l ler 616.942.7050 (work) or
616.540.4386 (ce l l )
FOR SALE: 4 16" Wheels off a 993 with all season tires. $600.00 or best offer. Call Arnie at 616-443-4901
FOR SALE: Two Dunlop SP Spor ts - $150.00 255-40-ZR 17. Never mounted exce l lent condi t ion. Cal l Dave Reid @ 616-560-3583 or 517-667-9943
928 ENGINE FOR SALE: 1985 928 5.0 ltr quad cam, 88k actual, runs good. VIN: WP0JB0921FS860652. Engine take out for engine upgrade for track use. ALL Accessories, alt, PS, Smog pump, ignition coils, wires, New Injectors, rails - EVERYTHING GOES - Lots of new and upgraded parts, please call me directly or email me for photos or a time to see the engine sgober@mycfcr.com 616-893-0891 No reasonable offer refused
ÜBER ALLES Page 7October 2009
From the Desk of the President . . .
By the ca lendar, summer is w inding down, yet as I wr i te , you would never know i t – the temperature is 80 degrees wi th h igh humid i ty and scat tered showers . Such a contrast to the spectacu lar weather we enjoyed at the Dr iver ’s Educat ion Event at Grattan the weekend of September 18-20! Too bad some of you missed th is wonderfu l opportun i ty to enjoy dr iv ing your beaut i fu l Porsche whi le learn ing new techniques that would be useful on the road in your da i ly l ives.
F i rs t , I would l ike to g ive a b ig “Thank You” to DELTA PORSCHE. Ryan Coe and Char les Van Wyck donated great i tems for Banquet Door Pr izes. We heard lo ts of apprec iat ive “oohs” and “aahs.” A lso sponsor , RACER PARTS WHOLESALE, has been very support ive for a number of years wi th many usefu l i tems as door pr izes. P lease check out the i r webs i te ht tp://www.racerpartswholesa le.com or contact me for a cata log.
Hard to be l ieve we are look ing at fa l l , then winter, act iv i t ies a l ready! Be sure to check the ca lendar so as not to miss any of the fun act iv i t ies s t i l l o f fered by our c lub. Don’ t miss the Fa l l Color Tour in October. And we have two – yes two – dr ives in November, p lus the important PLANNING MEETING to schedule next year ’s events. We need your input for act iv i t ies – do you have an idea for something new? Contact someone on the Board wi th your idea – or jus t show up and p i tch i t !
Another important new date and locat ion to wr i te on your ca lendar is the APPETIZER PARTY on December 5 t h . Check the promo art ic le for deta i ls .
My second term as Pres ident of WRM is near ly over. Our c lub ’s po l icy is to move our VP into the Pres ident ’s pos i t ion, so your next fear less leader wi l l be Dan Phi l l ips and we ask you to welcome and support h im in h is term. This , of course, leaves the pos i t ion of V ice Pres ident open and we are look ing for an enthus ias t ic vo lunteer! Your Board of Di rectors gets support f rom c lub membership and the pos i t ion is a wonderfu l exper ience. P lease cons ider jo in ing us. You can ca l l me (616-866-4143) or emai l R ick R i ley, Nominat ions Chai r at R ick.R i ley@grandxray.com.
Once again, I would l ike to thank the Grattan Committee and severa l new vo lunteers for thei r he lp making the DE run seamless ly . Watch for the informat ion for next year ’s DE and mark i t on your ca lendar – we’ l l see what we can do to rep l icate the weather!
Ted B lack l idgePres ident
PS. Do you know that BP and Sunoco are the only gas stat ions that do not carry Midd le Eastern Oi l and that CITCO is owned by the Venezuelan government?
New CEO unvei ls four new high-pow-ered 911s and hints at future hybr id and electr ic vehic les at Frankfurt Auto Show
ATLANTA, September 15, 2009 - Speak-ing publ ic ly for the f irst t ime at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Porsche's new president and CEO, Michael Macht, re-vealed that Porsche is consider ing and working hard on an electr ic-powered sports car that would meet the high demands of the Porsche brand.
"I am also convinced that one day Porsche wi l l have an electr ic sports car in i ts l ine-up," said Macht at the com-pany's press conference today. Whi le he caut ioned that so far the avai lable battery technology is not "suff ic ient to meet Porsche's str ict requirements," he said "our engineers are already working hard on this chal lenge."
"An electr ic sports car would therefore only make sense for Porsche i f i t offers performance and a cruis ing range s imi-lar to that of current sports cars in the market," he said. "We are therefore taking the f i rst step in this direct ion with a ful l hybrid - in the Cayenne, the
Panamera and maybe in the not too distant future also in a racing car or a production 911. Why not?"
Macht pointed out that Porsche has a long legacy with hybrid technology as i t was exact ly 109 years ago that Pro-fessor Ferdinand Porsche bui l t the f irst ful ly funct ioning car with hybrid tech-nology.
Speaking about Porsche's newest mod-el, Macht said the new Panamera Gran Turismo is already generat ing thou-sands of orders just three days after i ts market launch in Europe.
The highly ant ic ipated Panamera repre-sents Porsche's fourth model l ine and is the brand's f i rst-ever four-door sports car. It goes on sale in the U.S. on October 17, 2009.
"Although the car has only been at the dealership for three days, we already have 4,500 orders for the Panamera, most of them from customers who have not even seen the car yet," he said Macht. "And since test dr ives for cus-tomers have only just started, sales of
the Panamera are already making a very posit ive start."
Another highl ight of the press confer-ence at Frankfurt was Porsche's pre-sentation of i ts new 2010 911 Turbo, the f lagship of the venerable 911 range.
"The 911 Turbo is the spearhead in innovat ion throughout Porsche's com-plete range of sports cars. It has been successful in the market for 35 years, account ing throughout this per iod for almost 80,000 units sold worldwide," said Macht
Premiering alongside the venerable Turbo wi l l be a ser ies of asphalt-burn-ing 911s, including the 911 GT3 RS, and i ts race ready s ibl ing the 911 GT3 Cup car.
Porsche also took the wraps off i ts l im-ited-edit ion 911 Sport Classic at the Frankfurt show, marking a return to the tradit ion of occasional ly issuing ultra-exclusive product ion cars. The Sport Classic wi l l not be offered in the U.S. Product ion wi l l be str ict ly l imited to 250 units.###
PORSCHE SAYS IT IS WORKING ON ALTERNATIVE POWERED SPORTS CAR
ÜBER ALLESOctober 2009 Page 8
EURO AUTOWERKS,INC.
Full Service Shop, Specializing in Serviceof Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes,
Saab, Honda and American VehiclesA S E M a s t e r T e c h n i c i a n P C A m e m b e r s i n c e 1 9 7 4
U s i n g t h e l a t e s t t e c h n o l o g yClub Discount
$75.00/HOUR FORPCA MEMBERS
MENTION YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO
RECEIVE DISCOUNT
We perform used car inspect ions. We offer p ick-up & de l ivery. Cal l today for rates.
“Gi f t Cards Now Avai lable”
Located one mi le east of Bostwick Lake Inn on M-44, or west of Wabasis Rd. , on M-44
9240 Beld ing Rd. NE(616) 874-7932
OPEN: Monday - Fr iday 7:30am - 5:30pm
DECEMBER APPETIZER PARTYDecember 5, 2009 @ 7:00pm
EJ and Helene Czarnopys wil l be host ing theDecember Appet i zer Party .
Br ing an appet i zer and a bott le (or two)of wine to share .
More deta i l s to fo l low in November ’ s Uber Al les !
ÜBER ALLES Page 9October 2009
As you are no doubt aware , th i s year the summer in West Mich igan began i n September . I t jus t so happened that i t peaked the weekend of September 18, 19 and 20 – which luck i l y co inc ided with the WMR Grand Pr ix of Grat tan .
The sun rose each morn ing to one of the pret t ies t scenes – ro l l ing hi l l s around a two ‐mi le t rack , surrounded by two sma l l l akes , t rees s tar t ing the i r co lor change and wi ld l i fe . Our Chie f Dr iv ing Ins t ructor , Terry Sch ieb le , spent the n ights in his motor home and commented the c lear n ights with no ambient l i ght were spectacu lar .
F r iday was set as ide fo r our exper ienced dr ivers to en joy the t rack and Saturday we had a fu l l c lass of nov ice s tudents . The s tudents were apparent ly l i s ten ing i n tent ly to the i r Ins t ructors because , by l a te Saturday af ternoon, most of them were dr iv ing the t rack on the i r own.
Sunday morn ing , Terry had planned a Track ‐Walk with the s tudents ; however , the newly ‐minted idea was so popular that a lmost a l l of the dr ivers jo ined the l e sson . A l i t t le l ess than an hour went a long way that day .
For a br ie f da i l y rundown:Fr iday ’ s exper ienced dr i vers were f i r s t to warm up the t rack . We en joyed
droo l ing over a “RADICAL” SR8 – a rea l race car – carbon f ibe r , 1300 lbs and 440 horsepower , owned by Ken Grabowsk i . Oh my ‐ ‐ i f you saw him in your rearv iew mirror , get out of the way! Fr iday n ight , 25 of us ended the day at the Grattan Bar for good food and good conversa t ion .
Sa turday arr ived e ‐a ‐ r ‐ l ‐y ( I ’m not a morn ing person) and we f in i shed up reg i s t ra t ion and sent s tudents to the c lass room. Each morn ing , fo r a smal l donat ion , we were nour i shed by breakfas t good ies prov ided by Er i c & L ina Spross and Amber Door . On Saturday and Sunday the t rack i s opened for v i s i tors to tour dur ing the lunch hour fo r a donat ion to char i ty . Al l proceeds go to our 2009 Char i ty – Amyotroph ic l a tera l sc leros i s (ALS ) – and we s incere ly thank a l l those who part i c ipated .
Af ter a fu l l day of dr iv ing , we were a l l t i red . The t rack went co ld at 5:00 and so were the beverages . Our caterer , Mike Warre lman, served up a de l i c ious buf fet aga in th i s year – his cheesy potatoes have won awards . You know his food i s good when peop le get second he lp ings on vegetab les !
The enter ta inment for the even ing was g iv ing away the wonder fu l g i f t s g iven by our Sponsors , Del ta Porsche and Racer Parts Wholesa le . They were very
generous and deserve our support fo r the i r ef for ts , so please thank them!
Sunday s tar ted with the Track ‐Walk and by 9:00 am the f i r s t run was on the t rack . Around 11:00 Darren Draves jo ined us with his gorgeous Carrera GT and even jo ined us on the t rack dur ing the f i r s t Advanced Dr iver ’ s Sess ion . He was beh ind me one minute and w ‐a ‐y past me the next – rea l l y coo l what 600 horsepower can do for a 2,800 lb car . Oh, and did I ment ion i t ’ s gorgeous?
We ended the weekend with good news – no major car boo ‐boos .
I would l i ke to extend a great big “Thank You” to the Grattan Commit tee – Amber Door , Col in Carpenter , Rick Ri ley , Cra ig Ackerman , Er i c Spross , Terry Sch ieb le , Michae l Betz , and our vo lunteer he lpers , Don Sazama, L ina Spross , and Jer ry Arens fo r he lp ing to make th i s year ’ s Grand Pr ix of Grat tan an en joyab le event .
Oh yeah, and “Thanks” to Mother Nature .
Ted Black l idge , Grat tan Commit tee Cha i r
WHAT A SHAME ‐ LOOK WHAT YOU MISSED!
ÜBER ALLES Page 10October 2009
Th is year , the Porsche Club o f Amer ica Western Mich igan Region organ ized a 2-day par t ic ipat ion in the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber ’s 5 th Annual 28th St reet Met ro Cru ise.
Fr iday n ight , over 60 people gathered a t De l ta Impor ts , west Mich igan ’s on ly Porsche dea ler . Del ta was k ind enough to host th is gather ing on the i r proper ty , c leared the f rontage on 28th St reet so c lub members cou ld d isp lay the i r cars , and even prov ided a great l i t t le cookout catered by Sandmann’s . Fox Motors Chai rman and CEO Dan DeVos brought out h is Porsche Carrera GT, which was on d isp lay in the Porsche showroom. Many thanks to Char les VanWyk at De l ta for he lp ing organ ize th is event .
Many par t ic ipants then took to the road to c ru ise the n ight away amid c lass ic hot rods, h igh-end spor ts cars , and un ique one-of f mystery machines that a l l came out o f the proverb ia l woodwork for th is year ’s Metro Cru ise. I t was a n ice n ight o f c ru is ing, and a great pre-amble for the next day.
Saturday s tar ted out a l i t t le rocky as c lub members ar r ived a t the park ing s i te a t Centerpo in te Mal l , in f ront o f the Toys-R-Us and Kr ispy Kreme. There was no cordoned-of f a rea reserved for e i ther the Porsche or Corvet te c lubs, wh ich had been negot ia ted in advance wi th the Cru ise organ izers . We both had to make due wi th less than ha l f the space we thought we’d have. A la rge (and dec ided ly low-end) swap meet monopol ized the pr ime rea l es ta te on the corner o f 28th and the Be l t l ine , le t t ing the rea l s tars o f the show – the cars – f igh t “L .A.
r io t ” s ty le for the le f tover space o f f to the s ide. (e .g . take what you want , don ’ t ask permiss ion. ) Jerry Arens ’ ro l l o f ‘caut ion ’ tape saved the day.
The crowd at the event was not your typ ica l car -show crowd e i ther , but ra ther i t was the genera l pub l ic , who had to be to ld to not lean on the $100,000 cars wi th the i r z ippers , car keys, and swi tchb lades. We a lso had too many customers o f the a forement ioned Cuban auto par ts s tore walk ing between the Porsches wi th o ld rus ted par ts for the i r pro jec t cars back a t the farm. And then there was Joseph A. S ixpak, who parked h is o ld Chevel le d iagonal ly r ight in the center o f our area, got out , locked i t , and walked away, b lock ing in 3 Porsches and 2 Corvet tes . Mi racu lous ly , not a scra tch was to be seen, and nobody got k i l led , but th is le f t o rgan izers wi th a c lear mandate for any par t ic ipat ion next year – but who wi l l vo lunteer the chain- l ink fences?
Maybe we cou ld borrow them f rom the beer tent , who cer ta in ly d idn ’ t need them. Perhaps due to the unseasonably coo l weather (65 in August?) , or the locat ion ( tucked beh ind Toys-R-Us) , not a sou l was in the beer tent a l l day long. That record was not to be improved upon Saturday even ing, because a t about 4 pm, the sk ies f ina l ly opened up and drowned the event in a tor rent ia l downpour .
Many o f us le f t fo r home, or fo r the pub. But some of the hardcore remained, watch ing the parade o f cars on 28th St reet – w i th c igars in hand – f rom under an umbre l la . Now, that ’s when you know you ’ re a rea l car enthus ias t ! Look ing forward to next year…
In Review: 5th Annual 28th Street Metro CruiseBy Dan Phi l l ips
ÜBER ALLES Page 11October 2009
Save the date
Porsche Club of Amer ica
Western Michigan Region
50th Anniversary Celebrat ion!
WMR PCA 50t h Anniversary Celebrat ion
20-21-22 August 2010
Your Help Is Needed! Real ly ! !Please he lp us make our 50 t h Anniversary Ce lebrat ion a success ! We are look ing for leaders to p lan and manage the var ious events o f our 50t h Anniversary ce lebrat ion weekend . We welcome volunteers to f i l l the fo l lowing pos i t ions :
Oberbefehlshaber [Taken: Dan Phi l l ips ]Director o f Fr iday Af ternoon Dinner Drive [Taken: Kurt Wirth ]Director o f Saturday AM ConcoursConcours Judges (need 3 people ! )Director o f Saturday Box LunchDirector o f Saturday Af ternoon Gimmick Rally [Taken: Ted Blackl idge ]Director o f Saturday PM Banquet [Taken: Brenda Hi ldon ]Banquet MCAwards ManagerDirector o f Sunday AM Cars & CoffeeDirector o f Sunday AM Dinner DriveDirector o f Market ing & Advert is ingSponsorship DirectorChar i ty Coordinator
The o f f i cers wi l l be on ca l l to he lp in any way necessary , but i t wi l l be the pr imary respons ib i l i ty o f the vo lunteers to “own” the ir port ion . The idea i s to break down a b ig event into smal l , eas i ly ‐managed parts . Become a b ig part o f th is important event – get involved!
P lease contact Dan Phi l l ips a t (616) 281‐2459 or dph i l66@hotmai l . com to vo lunteer , or for quest ions about any of the jobs . We wi l l a l so be so l ic i t ing your invo lvement on a 1 ‐on‐1 bas is in the very near future as wel l , unt i l a l l p laces are f i l led . Be a part o f what makes your c lub great ! Become a leader today!
Officers
President: Ted Blackl idge
2753 13 Mi le RdRockford , MI 49341T: (616) 866-4143E: sgra fex@chartemi .net
Treasurer: Amber Door
645 Summerset Dr .Jen ison, MI 49341T: (616) 457-4515E: Amdoor242@aol.com
Secretary: Brenda Hi ldon-Kaempf637 South Shore Dr .Ka lamazoo, MI 49002T: (269) 370-9183E: blue911rsr@charter.net
V. President: Dan Phil l ips
2676 Br iarwood Ct . SEKentwood, MI 49512T: (616) 281-2459E:dph i l66@hotmai l .com
W E S T E R N M I C H I G A N R E G I O N O F T H E P O R S C H E C L U B O F A M E R I C A
C/O Ren Phillips2676 Briarwood Court SEGrand Rapids, MI 49512
HERE THEY ARE - YOUR OPPORTUNITYTO HAVE YOUR VERY OWN
WMR PCA NAME TAG:
About ÜÜÜÜber Alles
Porsche Über Alles is the official publication of the Western Michigan Region Porsche Club of America, Inc. It is a non-profit organization registered with the state of Michigan and issued monthly. Statements and opinions appearing herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of WMR/PCA, PCA, it’s officers or members. The editor reserves the right to edit all material for publication and to publish on the material which it felt to be in the best interest of the region and PCA. Permission is granted to reprint, providing credit will be given to the author, WMR, Porsche Über Alles, and provided that copyright is not involved, return copy of the article when published would be appreciated.Subscriptions for non-members are $18.00/yr.Deadline for advertising and new articles is on the 10th of the month prior to publication.Please send information to:Ren Phillips Renlopes@sbcglobal.net2676 Briarwood Ct. SEKentwood, MI 49512 Phone: (616) 281-2459
Cost for each are $4.00. Contact Ted Black l idge a t sgrafex@chartermi.net. to place an order. Plus $1 per tag for shipping, if necessary.
The name tags have magnet ic fasteners to prevent nasty holes in your fabu lous Porsche appare l .
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