INSIDE - PCA-SAR Home Page

–photo by Hal Tretbar 

PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA 

SOUTHERN ARIZONA REGION 

JANUARY 2010 

INSIDE 

SAR 10 Years Ago—1999 

Outing to Tubac 

The Question... The Clue 

Beat Back Buffelgrass Day 

2009 Holiday Party 

Guidelines for Submissions to the ZN, Part 2 

Meet Dave Radmacher, SAR DE/Autocross Chair

Like a 

good 

neighbor, 

State Farm 

is there. 

See me for car, home, 

life and health 

Insurance. 

Michael L. Braegelmann, CLU 

Agent 

4178 E. 22nd Street 

Tucson, AZ 85711 

Office: (520) 745-2800 

Residence: (520) 797-8833 

State Farm Insurance Companies 

Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 

www.pcasar.com 

JANUARY 2010 

CONTENTS 

Features 

3 Guidelines for Submissions to the ZN 

—Part 2 

4 Outing to Tubac 

5 The Question... The Clue 

6 SAR 10 Years Ago—1999 

7 Beat Back Buffelgrass Day 

11 2009 Holiday Party 

13 Meet Dave Radmacher, SAR 

DE/Autocross Chair 

Columns 

3 President Platz 

14 Track Lights 

14 Willkommen 

Departments 

2 Elected Officers, Board Members, and 

Committee Chairs 

8 Up Coming Events and Holidays 

16 January 2010—New Contributor 

16 Market Platz 

Advertisers 

Dearing Automotive 

Dentbusters 

European Auto Tech 

Porsche of Tucson 

Radmacher Porsche Service 

State Farm Insurance 

Underhill Financial 

Zuffenhausen News | January 2010 | 1

Porsche Club of America—Southern Arizona Region 

ELECTED OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE 

PRESIDENT 

Jim Kendler 

president@pcasar.com 

VICE PRESIDENT 

David Long 

vicepresident@pcasar.com 

SECRETARY 

Kevin Purdy 

secretary@pcasar.com 

TREASURER 

Richard Channel 

treasurer@pcasar.com 

STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS 

Drivers Education/Autocross 

Dave Radmacher (and Greg 

Robertson) 

autocross@pcasar.com 

Membership 

Tom Sherman 

membership@pcasar.com 

Social Events 

Karen Hannon 

social@pcasar.com 

SPECIAL COMMITTEE CHAIRS 

Adopt-a-Roadway Jan Ramaker 

By-Laws Tom Sherman 

Charity Carol Cloutier 

Cinco de Mayo Dave Long & Kathleen Kendler 

Rally Vacant 

Technical Vacant 

Tours Jim Kendler 

Photo Not 

Available 

MEMBER AT LARGE - 1 

Lee Cuevas 

boardmember1@pcasar.com 


Linda Shank 



RANDY HANNON 


PAST PRESIDENT 

Hal Tretbar 

pastpresident@pcasar.com 

Newsletter Editor 

Claudia Stone 

newsletter@pcasar.com 

Safety 

Greg Robertson 

safety@pcasar.com 

SAR Web Site 

Jill Davis-Curtis 

webmaster@pcasar.com 

EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS 

356 Technical Advisor Jeff Gamble 

Advertising Manager Lee Cuevas 

Concours Judging Liaison Ken Hollett 

Dealer Liaison Tom Sherman 

Historian Kurt Cramer 

Insurance Liaison Peter Beahan 

Southeast Area Liaison Gary Ottaviano 

Statutory Agent Pati Reinking 

Zuffenhausen News is the official publication of the Southern Arizona Region, Porsche Club of America. Any statement appearing in the Zuffenhausen News is that of 

the author and does not constitute an opinion of the Porsche Club of America, the Southern Arizona Region, Inc., its Board of Directors, the Zuffenhausen News editor 

or contributors. The editor reserves the right to edit all material submitted for publication. Permission is given to the chartered region of PCA to reprint articles in their 

newsletter if credit is given to the author and Zuffenhausen News. Mail to the ZN editor or other members of the Board should be sent to Zuffenhausen News, 

PCA–Southern Arizona Region, P.O. Box 1743, Sahuarita, AZ 85629. Please indicate the name of the recipient, e.g., Claudia Stone, Editor. 

2 | January 2010 | Zuffenhausen News 

Photo Not 

Available 

Photo Not 

Available 

www.pcasar.com

Happy New Year! What a fantastic 2009, 

and I am looking forward to 2010. By the 

time you read this our annual election 

will be over and announced at our annual 

Holiday Party. Your new Board of Directors 

is hard at work planning events 

and building the schedule for the new 

year. Please come to the January 2010 

membership meeting to meet your new 

board members. If you have ideas for 

events or would like to become more involved 

in the planning and execution of 

events please feel free to contact your 

board members, or better yet, attend the 

monthly Board Meeting. Check the web 

site to find the date, time, and location. 

Some of you may remember my first 

article as your President, in January 

2009, where I outlined my goals for the 

year. How did we do in meeting my 

goals? My first goal was to increase attendance 

at Cinco de Mayo, our annual 

PCA Zone 8 car show, and Porsche and 

Planes Car Show held at the Pima Air 

and Space Museum. Cinco 2009 had 57 

Porsches on the lawn compared to 32 

cars in 2008. Porsche and Planes 2009 

was an outstanding success with the participation 

of the Arizona Region. Thirty 

nine Porsches were on display in the 

hangar versus 20 cars for our 2008 show. 

My last measurable goal for 2009 

Last month, the guidelines covered submission 

of feature articles for the ZN. 

This month, in Part 2, we briefly describe 

the requirements for Photographs. 

Photographs to be used in the ZN definitely 

have more constraints on them than text 

files. 

PagePlus X4 accepts pdf files but then 

deconstructs them. . .never mind! You 

just need to know this is not good. 

Photos inserted into a Word text file 

(*.doc or *.docx) also do not work. 


was to have at least two overnight tours. 

For 2009 we had three. The Douglas tour 

took place in February; next was the 

Porsche Parade tour held in July; and finally 

the Canyon de Chelly tour was in 

October. All of these events were well attended 

and were a great way to spend 

quality time with family, friends, and 

your favorite automobile. 

The past year exceeded my expectations 

so I want to let you know my 2010 

goals. My first goal is to hold a PCA nationally 

sanctioned Driver Education Instructor 

Class before the summer of 

2010. This class is required to develop 

new driving instructors and maintain the 

currency of our present instructors. Our 

Driving Program is second to none for a 

region our size and this class is a priority 

to maintain the excellent reputation of 

our program. 

Second, I want to maintain our attendance 

numbers and not raise entry 

fees at the Cinco de Mayo Concours, 

scheduled for Saturday, 1 May 2010. I 

think you will find the new Concours location, 

Ventana Canyon Lodge, very accommodating, 

convenient, and classy. 

Please mark your calendars and watch 

the newsletter and web site for details. 

Third, I hope to schedule a new venue 

for our Driving Program. The New 

by Jim Kendler 

SAR President 

Year may see one or more additional 

venues on our driving schedule. Check 

the newsletter and web site for all the 

2010 driving news. 

My fourth goal is to schedule another 

combined Porsche and Planes Car 

Show at the Pima Air Space Museum 

with the Arizona Region. Last year’s 

event was the largest indoor Porsche car 

show in Arizona. 

My last goal for 2010 is to schedule a 

minimum of two overnight driving tours 

during the year. 

If you read the newsletter like I do 

from cover to cover, you know I am not 

the only board member who has goals 

for 2010. Our Social Events Chair, Karen 

Hannon, will be bringing back some of 

the club’s most popular social events. 

Please look for a Progressive Dinner and 

a trip to Callahan’s winery followed by a 

barbeque on the 2010 calendar. After 

watching Karen organize our 2009 Holiday 

Party I can’t wait for the next social 

event! Karen, thank you for the great 

party! 

I hope to see you and your Porsche 

at the next SAR event. 

Guidelines for Submissions to the ZN—Part 2 

There is no way (known to me) to save 

a photo embedded in Word or copy it 

into my publishing software. 

The best file formats are jpg, tif, or 

bmp, which are standard photo formats. 

Photos that are sized in the 4 to 6 inch 

range, with 150 to 300 dpi are good. If you 

prefer, you may send large files and I will 

reduce the physical size and increase the 

dpi. 

The ZN goes to a number of members as a 

full-color digital copy (talk to Tom Sherman, 

Membership Chair, if you would like 

to be on this list), and a black and white 

hard copy is mailed to all members. Some 

people prefer to change their own photos 

to b&w and will send b&w and color copies 

for the two ZN formats. You are invited to 

make that transition, or I will do it for you. 


OUTING to Tubac... 

...no matter what they say, a wet time on an old road is fun! 

by Gary Ottaviano 

SAR Member 

Intrepid ZN Reporter from Sierra Vista 

IN LATE SEPTEMBER the local PCA/SAR 

folks met for dinner at Santiago's restaurant 

in Bisbee. While there, we discussed 

what our next event should be. 

Dana (2008, 997 S) suggested we do a 

driving/ shopping/dinner tour to Tubac. 

We set the date for November 14 

and the location of dinner at Elvira’s 

restaurant. In planning this event it 

was felt that if the guys got tired of 

shopping we could always grab a 

beer/margarita at a local establishment; 

keep in mind that while we were planning 

this outing, the temperatures 

were in the high 80s to low 90s so a 

beer/margarita sounded good! 

On Friday, November 13, Dana emailed 

to ask if the ride was still on for 

Saturday. This fall has been one of the 

nicest falls we can remember but on 

the 13th we were having our second 

cold wave. The high temperature was 

only going to be 52, with winds of 20 to 

30 mph and gusting to 45 mph. She 

was questioning what it would be like 

Saturday with the wind blowing the 


sand around. Her quote: “Shopping 

and sand do not mix!” With a quick 

check of the weather, we found Saturday's 

forecast was projected to be partly 

cloudy, with temperatures around 64, 

winds between 10 and 20 mph, and a 10 

percent chance of rain. Sounded like a 

good day for a tour. We decided the 

tour was a “Go.” 

Saturday morning we awoke to 

find chilly temperatures but crystal 

clear skies, a beautiful fall Arizona 

morning. Patti and I, with a friend, 

Henry, in from Ohio, headed to Veterans 

Park for a pancake breakfast and 

hot air balloon launch. There we 

hooked up with Ron Faulkner (1997 

Boxster) and enjoyed his company for 

breakfast while we watched the balloons 

launch. We were all looking forward 

to a great fall ride! 

At 11:30 a.m. we headed out for our 

ride to Tubac but due to the previous 

days’ weather and other conflicts, we 

had only three Porsches and six people, 

which was good as we only had six 

–photo by Ron Faulker 

seats! As we headed west on AZ 82 towards 

Tubac the weather started to deteriorate. 

It started to rain shortly after 

we passed Patagonia, and shortly after 

that Ron Faulkner declared, “No Mas 

No Mas,” and put the top up on his car. 

Ron’s riding partner was Dave Pate 

(1987 944 Turbo). Dave's car was under 

the weather too!) 

One of the roads from AZ 82 to I- 

19 is South River Road. This road follows 

the Santa Cruz River with numerous 

turns and elevation changes—a 

great Porsche road. Dana was leading, 

followed by Ron Faulkner, followed by 

Patti and me. Good fortune was with 

us as we were only going about 10 mph 

over the speed limit when we passed 

one of Arizona's Finest heading in the 

opposite direction. He did put on his 

brake lights but didn't turn around and 

come after us. SWEET! We slowed 

down for the rest of South River Road. 

Over lunch we discussed that it is very 

unusual to see law enforcement on this 

road. 

After raining on and off most of 

the way we finally arrived at Tubac. 

Our first stop was the Green Olive, an 

olive oil and balsamic vinegar 

store. The six of us sampled numerous 

olive oils and balsamic vinegars and 

made our purchases. Since we were 

only about 300 feet from the cars we 

decided to drop off our goodies. On the 

way to the cars the rain really started to 

come down and it was suggested we 

have lunch while we waited for the rain 

to let up. Dana suggested that we drive 

Continued on next page— 

Intrepid day trippers (l to r): Dave Pate, 

Ron Faulkner, Patti Ottaviano, Dana Bin‐ 

ford, and Henry Crouse (Ohio friend) 

www.pcasar.com

Outing to Tubac (continued) 

to Elvira’s. She was the only one who knew where Elvira’s is. 

At her direction we went back out on the main road, drove 

up to the next entrance (200 ft), came back in, and parked 

on the other side of the Green Olive, having moved our cars 

only about 350 feet! Seems Elvira’s was closer than she 

thought! 

Lucky for us the weather was bad and not too many 

people were at the restaurant so we only had to wait about 

15 minutes to be seated. The good news: we had been told 

the restaurant does not take reservations but found out for 

groups of more than four they will take reservations. Next 

time reservations! Lunch was great, super service, and a really 

enjoyable time was had by our little group. Poor Dana 

had to put up with some good-natured ribbing over the 

short car move. By the time we finished lunch the weather 

finally seem to be clearing out and we proceeded to shop. 

Oh Goody! 

The group visited four or five shops and decided since 

the weather was so bad that we would leave a little early and 


go to our house for pizza. We have been going to Tubac for 

about 4 years and every time it gets nicer. It is really turning 

into a nice place to shop. 

The ride back was fairly uneventful with the exception 

of South River Road where we passed three separate police 

cars patrolling the area... it seemed there were more police 

cars than personal cars... I think there were looking for us! 

Upon arriving at our home Patti whipped up two pizzas 

and we continued on into the evening over pizza and wine, 

finally breaking up around 10. 

Oh, the 10 percent chance of rain turned out to be 

nearly 100 percent! Inspecting my car Sunday morning I 

noted that in the 7 years I've owned my Porsche this is the 

absolute dirtiest it's ever been... 

Wash and shine on Monday! 

See page 10 for a clue to the program that Hal Tretbar will present at the SAR general 

meeting on January 5, at Mimi’s Café west. 



by Kurt Cramer 

SAR Historian and Lifetime Member 

It’s the end of another decade! Let’s look back to the end of the 

last one. 

President: John Poor; Vice President: Ryan Volin; Secretary: 

Kelly Jo Reidy (now Volin); Treasurer: J.R. Albright; Board 

Members: John Ferguson, Kai Gerkey, Chuck Strub; Past 

Pres/Web Master: Kurt Cramer; Newsletter Editor: Larry Dennis; 

Membership: Rene Holes; Autocross/ Time Trials: Kai Gerkey; 

Event Chair (now Social Events Chair): Pati Reinking; 

Safety: Rink Reinking; Rally Master: Dick Ecelbarger; 356 Advisor: 

Jeff Gamble. 

Meetings were held at Chad’s Steak House. 

January 23—The local SCCA region was holding an autocross 

on Sunday the 24 th and they agreed to put on an autocross 

school for us on Saturday. They used parts of the course that 

they had set up for their autocross to show us “how to” autocross. 

There were 13 SAR members driving. 

January 30—What else? The Tubac Car Show. No Porsche 

class in ’99. We had to enter the general Sports Car Class. 

January 31—Super Bowl party at Steve Sapareto’s. 

February 28—The first Pinal Air Park event! Kai Gerkey was 

the chair. There were 32 cars, 37 drivers! What fun. This was the 

first track event for SAR in 15 years. We had a couple hours the 

day before to set up the track, that is, to figure out what to do 

with the jumps! I guess we did okay because it’s handled the 

same way today. The Arizona Region was a big help by bringing 

ZN, June 1999 (scan courtesy of Kurt Cramer) 


their timing equipment and running the clocks during the 

timed runs. There were no cones on the main straight! We 

didn’t want cars entering the concrete corner at high speed so 

we ran the event counter clockwise. 

March 13—Swap Meet and Wash & Shine School at Radmacher 

Porsche Service. 

April 10—Chuck Strub led a Birding Tour to Patagonia 

Lake State Park. The group first had a Park Ranger’s boat tour. 

After birding and a picnic lunch the group traveled to the 

Arizona Vineyards Winery for wine tasting. After Nogales they 

stopped at the Tumacacori National Historical Park and then 

on to Tubac, with time to visit the shops before dinner at 

Melio’s Trattoria Italian restaurant. 

Also on April 10 & 11 Wild Bill and Fran Walker of the 

Carrera Region (Las Cruces, NM) held an open track and time 

trial event at Arroyo Seco Motorplex. Six SAR members made 

the trek over for the event. Saturday night they had a separate 

dining room at the Holiday Inn restaurant and showed in-car 

videos while we had dinner. 

Barb Crowley and John Ferguson co-chaired the Concours 

this year. Everything took place at St. Phillip’s Plaza. The headquarters 

was the Windmill Inn. April 30 was the Cinco Warm 

Up Party at Café Terra Cotta. On Saturday, May 1, 26 cars 

entered the judged classes at the Concours. A parade began at 

6:00 PM from the Plaza to La Paloma Country Club for the 

Award’s Banquet. On Sunday 14 cars participated in the First 

Annual Cinco de Mayo Rally by Rally Master Dick Ecelbarger. It 

was a TSD (time-distance-speed) rally, won by Larry and Rita 

Dennis. 

June 19—Mt Lemmon tour to the Volin cabin, with the 

Arizona Region joining us. 

July 4 was again a pot luck and fireworks viewing at the 

Kepners. About 30 of us enjoyed their relaxed and gracious 

hospitality. 

September 11 was the perfect date for a Driver’s Ed and 

autocross at Pinal Air Park. Our new timing equipment had 

arrived and was checked out by Steve Sapareto. This was Rink’s 

first event in the “Yellow Car” since 1985! 

October 8–10 was a Sedona Tour to Junipine Lodge led by 

Patti Reinking. Friday night was beer tasting and bratwurst on 

the grill. Saturday was spent at an arts and crafts show, and 

shopping at Tlaquepaque. Saturday evening, wine tasting and 

dinner at the lodge restaurant. 

October 19—Tour to Kartchner Caverns State Park led by 

Chuck Strub. This was before the park was opened to the public. 

The club was asked to critique it. 

The Casa Car Show was held on October 23 at Reid Park 

and October 30 was another Pinal Air Park autocross. 

November 13—Dick Ecelbarger and Laura Cisneros put on 

—Continued on page 15 

www.pcasar.com

Beat Back Buffelgrass Day 

February 6, 2010 

by Rink Reinking 

The Porsche Club of America, Southern Arizona Region will join a 

Pima County-wide effort sponsored by the Southern Arizona 

Buffelgrass Coordination Center (SABCC) and the Pima Association of 

Governments (PAG) Environmental Planning Advisory Committee 

(EPAC). The Beat Back Buffelgrass event will take place on February 6 

in a coordinated attack on the invasive plant Buffelgrass. 

Our organization is currently responsible for roadside cleanup 

under the auspices of the Pima County, Department of Transportation, 

Adopt-A-Roadway project. We have been a part of that effort 

since April 2003. 

In early 2009, we began exploring the possibility of expanding that 

program to include Buffelgrass remediation. We held a Buffelgrass 

identification and hands-on removal test on July 11, 2009 with a small 

group of members. Next, we created an on-line survey of our members 

and opened it up for responses in late July. 

On August 4 we had a very interesting and informative presentation 

at our regular monthly meeting. Marilyn Hanson, a volunteer 

coordinator with the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers, spoke about the 

problems and dangers of the ongoing Buffelgrass invasion in the 

Southwest. 

Later in August, the results of the completed survey indicated 

strong support for our Buffelgrass remediation program. As a result of 

our positive experiences and that support, our second work session 

was scheduled for November 7, and with an even larger group, we were 

able to clear a portion of our roadway of Buffelgrass. 

There is much more work to do, however. Our next work session 

is planned for February 6, 2010. That date was chosen to coincide with 

a wider public effort mentioned above. As we approach that date we 

will put a sign-up page on our web site at pcasar.com, so we can obtain 

all of the safety vests, digging bars and disposal bags needed. 

A large group of participants working for a short time will accomplish 

a lot of Buffelgrass removal. Let's plan for a big turnout and 

continue to show our community service spirit. 


BUFFELGRASS—THE CULPRIT 

A pioneering effort by PCA SAR 

has inspired the Pima County 

Department of Transportation 

(which oversees the Adopt-A- 

Roadway program) to work toward 

including Buffelgrass removal 

as a part of their Adopt- 

A-Roadway cleanup pro-gram. It 

should also be mentioned that 

Marilyn Hanson, from the Sonoran 

Weedwackers, has widened 

our impact by informing personnel 

at the Southern Arizona 

Buffelgrass Coordination Center 

(SABCC) and PAG's Environmental 

Planning Advisory Committee 

(EPAC) about the success of our 

program. In the future, you may 

see a greatly expanded Buffelgrass 

effort from similar groups 

of Adopt-A-Roadway workers, 

thanks to the groundwork of the 

Southern Arizona Region. 


Upcoming Events and Holidays 

January 1 New Year’s Day 

January 5 SAR Membership Meeting, Mimi’s (west)—Hal Tretbar 

January 12 Deadline for Submissions to February ZN 

January 18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 

January 23 16th Annual Tubac Car Show 

February 2 SAR Membership Meeting, Mimi’s (east) 

February 6 Buffelgrass Eradication Day 

February 10 Deadline for Submissions to March ZN 

February 14 Valentine’s Day 

February 15 President’s Day 

February 20-21 Aroyo Seco DE 

March 2 SAR Membership Meeting, Mimi’s (west) 

March 10 Deadline for Submissions to April ZN 

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day 

March 20 Joint SAR and AZ Instructor Candidate School (Phoenix) 

April 4 Easter Sunday 

April 6 SAR Membership Meeting, Mimi’s (east) 

April 13 Deadline for Submissions to May ZN 

April 17 2nd Annual DM50 Casual Car Show, Davis Monthan Air Force Base 

May 1 SAR Cinco de Mayo Concours and Award Banquet 

May 4 SAR Membership Meeting, Mimi’s (west) 

May 9 Mother’s Day 

May 31 Memorial Day 

June 1 SAR Membership Meeting, Mimi’s (east) 

June 20 Father’s Day 

July 4 Independence Day 

July 6 SAR Membership Meeting, Mimi’s (west) 

THIRD TUESDAY SAR Board of Directors meeting; see web site for revolving locations. 


www.pcasar.com



Richard and Lesley Kepner, in front of the 

Manning House fire place 

Dave Radmacher and the 80‐inch Porsche photo 


Tom and Connie Sherman check in SAR guests at the reception 

area of the Manning House 

Rink Reinking, 

Gene Isaak, 

and Carl Curtis 

exchange 

Porsche stories 

Richard Channel presents a check to Patsy Conklin for 

the Holiday Food Baskets 

–photos by Ken Hollett and Hal Tretbar 

His car museum contains many famous cars along 

with motorcycles, golf carts, snowmobiles, a gocart, 

a dune buggy, and a pink Willys Jeep with a 

canvas top. 

www.pcasar.com

2009 Holiday Party 

The SAR Holiday Christmas Party 

was a grand success. Held at the historic 

Manning House on December 

19, more than 60 people showed up 

to celebrate, enjoy good food and 

cheer, and socialize with old and new 

friends. Numerous awards, honors, 

and prizes were given away during 

the evening. The festivities included: 

Patsy Conklin was honored with 

a Lifetime Membership. 

Dave Radmacher was given an 

80-inch-long, composite photograph 

of Porsches, lined up on 

the track at a recent Autocross 

event. The pictures were taken 

and stitched together by Rick 

Barrett who presented the gift. 

Patsy Conklin was presented 

with a generous check for Holiday 

Food Baskets (see her article 

in the December ZN). 


Kathleen Kendler, Vicki Channel, 

Elizabeth Robertson, and 

Nancy Elliott were honored by 

Dave Radmacher for improving 

their driving skills at club driving 

events during the past year. 

Rink Reinking was awarded the 

President’s Cup for his work on 

the Buffelgrass project, writing 

ZN articles and encouraging 

others to contribute, his dedication 

as a DE instructor, and his 

general all-round, too-numerous-to 

list contributions to the 

success of the club. 

Outgoing board members, Ken 

Hollett, Terry Prince, and Mike 

LoGalbo were recognized and 

thanked for their many years of 

service to our club. 

A few photographs from the evening 

are shown on these pages. 

In the color version of this photo, you might notice that Jeff Gamble 

parked his 356 in the red zone in front of the Manning House 

Sherry and Jim Semrad enjoying a laugh with Carle 

and Anne Conway 

Elizabeth Robertson and Rick Barrett admire the 

door price won by Cindy Barrett (center) 

Rink Reinking and Claudia Stone try un‐ 

successfully to Bump an iPod and an 

iPhone 

Patsy Sable, Rita Dennis, and Dorothy Tretbar so‐ 

cialize in the dining room of the Manning House 


I’ve learned a thing or two over the years... 

Trust isn’t something you can market or sell. It is an unspoken 

quality you earn through actions and staying true to your word. 

If you treat every customer’s car like it was your own, they will 

appreciate the care and attention you’ve given. 

For 22 years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to earning our customer’s 

trust. They know they can count on us for quality service and 

repair, reasonable prices, and sometimes— just good advice. 


Robert Dearing 

De a r in g Au t o m o t iv e 

Specializing in the service and repair of Mercedes-Benz, 

BMW, Porsche and of course Ferrari automobiles. 

330 E. Fort Lowell Rd. 520.798.1222 

Open Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 5:30 pm 

www.pcasar.com

Meet Dave Radmacher, SAR DE/Autocross Chair 

by Claudia Stone 

Editor, Zuffenhausen News 

DAVE RADMACHER was born and raised in 

Tucson, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t 

been around the block a time or two. 

Topping his list of memorable excursions 

was an extended trip to points 

north and east in a converted VW 23 microbus 

with a sun roof. The year was 

1976, and the trip concluded several years 

of factory training and working on Volkswagens. 

Dave took off from Show Low after 

saying good-bye to his parents and headed 

to Denver to visit a former co-worker. 

“We went to Don’s Lounge,” he recalled 

smiling, “and I put my jacket down 

to play pin ball and drink beer.” When he 

came back the jacket was not where he 

had left it. It seems that Barb, whom he 

did not know, had moved it. The episode, 

he said, got them talking. According to 

Dave, they ended up in the parking lot 

“comparing vehicles.” This disclaimer was 

followed by a smiling “…and that was it!” 


Saturday, January 23, 2010 

Tubac Country Club on 

Driving Range Grass 

number one show for Porsche participation. 

“It” didn’t happen immediately, however. 

Leaving Denver, Dave headed to 

Fargo, North Dakota to meet Barb’s 

mother, who wasn’t home. He met her 

brothers instead, and from there he made 

his way east to Walkerton, Indiana to see 

his Grandma Radmacher, described with 

a fond grin as “always one of my favorites.” 

Walkerton isn’t too far from Indianapolis, 

and that was Dave’s next destination. 

At Speedway, Indiana he visited 

Chuck Looper, a fellow he met earlier at 

the Ontario Speedway in California 

(where Roger McClusky was testing an 

Indy car). Dave landed a job with Chuck’s 

Indy car crew, doing whatever, and hit 

the road with them. They went to races in 

Texas and Michigan. After the Michigan 

race, he explained, it was time to build 

cars for the next year. So Dave, Chuck, 

and another guy came back to Tucson 

where Dave helped them build two cars. 

After years of flirting with the 30 Porsches displayed target, in 2008 

we finally hit the 40 P-Car mark. 

Last January we slipped back to 33 cars, 

but were announced as the largest class in the show. 

This January, we want to make a serious run at 50! 

Additional information on the Show and 

links to download the Event Flyer and Registration Form 

are available on the Home Page of our website: http://pcasar.com/. 

As in past years, we will meet Saturday morning at McDonalds (I-19 

and Irvington), and caravan south to Tubac. Additional details will be 

emailed to the club distribution list. 

If you plan to attend or have questions, please contact Tom Sherman 

at membership@pcasar.com. 

the 

Dave said he did mostly lathe work 

and metal forming. He neatly summed up 

the experience with a tiny trace of nostalgia 

in his voice. “They paid nothing really, 

but it was worth everything.” 

Not to be left out of this tale, of 

course, is Barb. On his way back to Tucson 

Dave stopped in Denver to pick up 

Barb. He explained with a wicked smile 

that he persuaded her with promises of 

staying “at a nice camp in Durango,” the 

White Mountains, and then Tucson. It 

must have worked because she went with 

him. They were married in 1980, proving 

conclusively what Dave stated earlier, 

“…that was it.” 

After building the Indy cars, and before 

leaving Tucson, Chuck planted a seed 

with Dave about working on Porsches. 

Coincidentally, the Tucson Porsche dealership 

ran an ad for a mechanic and Dave 

landed the job. He worked for Bob Lewis 

from 1977 to 1983, leaving after the dealership 

was sold to another person and started 

on a downward slide. The new owner, 

it seems, took on Yugos, a car of Yugoslavian 

manufacture that was better suited 

for other uses. [Ed. note: I saw a Yugo display 

at Union Station in Washington, DC 

in the early 1990s. The cars had been 

turned into all manner of creative and 

useful things, from mailboxes to shower 

stalls to kitchens to duck blinds. The last 

Yugo was produced in 2008.] 

In 1983 Dave started Radmacher 

Porsche Services. More than 25 years later, 

when asked about retirement plans, he 

said thoughtfully, “I don’t see retirement 

on the horizon. …I like what I do.” 

The early years in Dave’s life were 

filled with lawnmower motors, slot-car 

racing, and go-carts—the things that seem 

to enchant future Porsche guys. He got 

into slot-car racing in junior high school, 

explaining that he typically rode his bike 

to the slot-car track a couple of time each 

weekend, from the present site of Tucson 

Auto Mall to 22 St. and Swan. At that time 

he and his friends were building their own 

slot cars at a 1:24 scale. 

—Continued on page 15 


y Tom Sherman 

SAR Membership Chair 

Although the final 2009 membership numbers will not be 

known for a couple of weeks (look for them in the February 

ZN), it’s clear that 2009 has been a good year. As of the day 

this article was submitted for publication, SAR had added 32 

new member households, including one since the last newsletter. 

In addition, PCA membership in our geography is up five 

from a year ago. SAR club membership now stands at 222, and 

National PCA membership was up to 262 as of November 30. 

Things are pretty quiet this month on the ZN front. Everyone 

is involved with social and family events, leaving us with a 20page 

ZN for the first time. On the very bright and cheerful 

side of a short issue is the fact that we have excellent articles. 

Kurt Cramer has gathered up facts and doings from 10 years 

ago and presents them in his inimitable style on page 6. 

New to the pages of the ZN is Gary Ottaviano with a witty 

account of a recent adventure to Tubac by the Sierra Vista 

gang. We can look forward to more reporting by Gary on the 

southern front. 

Hal Tretbar has prepared an enticing question=and-clue 

teaser on his upcoming talk at the January 5 dinner meeting. A 

free beverage at Mimi’s to anyone who guesses the right answer 

and lets me know by email before the event. 

On page 15, I’ve added instructions on submitting photos 

to the ZN. They can be problematic and the main point I am 

hoping to make is don’t embed photos in a Word file. Send 

them separately as an attachment. 

There is a brief summary of our Holiday Party, and 

bunches of fun photos on pages 10 and 11. Jill and Carl are 

sure to have lots more on our web site. 


SAR welcomes the following new member: 

David & Sarah Smallhouse: David and Sarah, who drive a 

2003 Silver 996 Coupe, joined PCA last April. David is a private 

investor and lists his club interests as Concours / Car 

Shows, Driver Education, Rallying/Touring and Social. 

Track Lights 

by Claudia Stone 

Editor, Zuffenhausen News 

This issue is also devoting a lot of space to goal setting for 

2010. Jim Kendler has set club goals on page 3, and Dave Radmacher 

has set DE/Autocross goals on page 13. Last month 

Karen Hannon laid out her plans for 2010 social events. It’s 

continuing club support that will make us successful in reaching 

out and meeting these challenges. 

Finally, Rink Reinking has taken on the buffelgrass challenge 

in a big way. This nonnative grass is invasive in the Sonoran 

desert and we best do something to eradicate it. Rink’s 

call for help on February 6 is featured on page 7. 

Read, enjoy, and participate! 

www.pcasar.com

Meet Dave Radmacher 

On family vacations, he recalled that 

despite earnest pleading, his dad would 

never stop at a go-cart track for him. It 

was around 8th grade, while yard sale-ing 

with his mom that he found a $25 go-cart, 

but she would not buy it for him. As it 

was near Christmas, Dave KNEW his parents 

would give it to him for Christmas. 

Search as he might though, he could not 

find it. After all the gifts were opened that 

Christmas day, the disappointed Dave finally 

was directed to “Look in the pool 

house!” and there it was! 

With a 1-mile dirt go-cart track in his 

virtual back yard and a reel-type lawnmower 

motor on the $25 go-cart, Dave 

enjoyed go-cart racing through high 

school. One early racing memory includes 

a go-cart with a custom-built frame and a 

2-stroke Mac-9 motor that he loaded into 

the back of the old family Rambler wagon 

and took to Picacho, to an old air strip 

with a go-cart track. Mostly though, he 

drove it in the El Con Mall parking lot 

and remembers being run out by police 

because it had an open header (12,000 

rpm) and was too loud. He also recalled 

with amusement that he lusted after 

quarter midgets owned by neighbors he 

never met. 

While on vacation he would mow 

lawns in exchange for old lawn mower 

motors, which they would haul back for 

him to tear apart. “That’s where it started,” 

he said. 

His family had horses and Dave was 

given his own, but, he said with a grin, “I 

gave up horses for horsepower.” 



—Continued from page 13 

As a high school junior, Dave had 

met most of his requirements so took a 

metal shop. He got into it: welding, lathe, 

etc. He signed up again his senior year 

but because the welding teacher came 

down with asthma, Dave became the 

teacher. During that period he built a 

mini bike for himself, then built more for 

teachers and/or their kids. 

From high school he went straight 

into mechanical engineering at U of A. 

Dave said he had taken experimental 

math in high school, which included modus 

ponens (don’t ask!). It didn’t mean 

anything to him but he knows that it ruined 

his chance for a sound math foundation. 

During his year in engineering 

“calculus kicked my butt,” he said. 

The following year he entered the architecture 

school but left at the end of 

that year because of the negative messages 

from the U of A professors: 6 years of 

HARD work in school with little to look 

forward to after graduation but low pay, 

if you even got a job, etc., etc. 

After that he pursued “what I’ve always 

been interested in from the day I 

was born.” He concluded with a wry 

smile, “I’m just a gear head, I guess.” 

Following his Indy experience, Dave 

began building a mini stock Volkswagen, 

which the Porsche dealership sponsored 

during the years he was there (1978 and 

1983). He raced about 20 times a year, taking 

third place his rooky year and placing 

every year after that. The track was a ¼ 

mile dirt, banked oval. 

Yes, but…how and when did he get 

—Continued from page 6 

the 1999 Fall in the Desert Rally, a Zone 8 sanctioned event. 

Nineteen vehicles from our region, Phoenix, and California 

competed. The post rally celebration feast was prepared by 

Laura Cisneros, with help from Patsy Conklin. There were a 

variety of Mexican entrees. 

The Boxster S was shown for the first time at Beaudry 

Porsche on Wednesday, December 1. 

December 4 was the Holiday Party at the Omni Tucson 

National Country Club. Cocktails 6:30 to 7:30, cost $37. Menu 

choices: (1) Fresh herb and mustard crusted Prime Rib. (2) Twin 

seared Salmon medallions with apple pecan relish and lemon 

butter sauce. (3) Rosemary garlic basted chicken with pepper 

into Porsches and into the Porsche Club? 

Dave couldn’t remember specific 

dates but stated he joined the club, 

dropped out, and joined again for the 

driving events put on by Rink Reinking, 

the Crowleys, and Kurt Cramer. They 

would let him drive his mini stock on asphalt 

even though it was a dirt car. “I 

might not be here today,” he said, “if they 

hadn’t let me do that.” [SAR records list 

1981 as the date Dave joined the club.] 

His first Porsche was a 356C that he 

got running and drove it on one trip—to 

the White Mountains. A bad repair job by 

an auto body shop caused him to put the 

car aside for years (25 year!), and eventually 

he sold it. He also owned a green 914 

with a wonderful history of being owned 

and sold by the Crowleys, being rear ended 

and totaled, and after Dave’s restoration 

taking first place in the 1989 

Concours. His current ride is a yellow 911. 

2010 will be Dave’s sixth year as 

Chair of DE/Autocross, with Greg Robertson 

co-chairing events for the past several 

years. Dave’s goals for 2010 are 

adding Musselman Track as part of our 

schedule; finalizing the joint SAR/AR Instructor 

Candidate School in March to 

have more nationally certified instructors 

recognized by PCA National; and laying a 

foundation from which the driving program 

can continue to grow. 

“I think we’re getting there,” Dave 

said at the end of our interview. 

Knowing Dave a little better now, I 

think—no, I KNOW—Dave will get us 

there. We’re darn lucky to have him. 

and Asiago cream. Dessert: Yule log with fruit coulis. 

December 11—another Pinal Air Park autocross! This time 

it was the SAR-AZR Desert Challenge Autocross. The restaurant 

at the Air Park opened for us during these early events. It was 

great to get a hot meal, especially in December. The AZR group 

were the victors. Ryan Volin, Kai Gerkey, Steve Sapareto, and 

J.R. Albright went to their January membership meeting and 

presented the Challenge Trophy, designed by Ryan, to Ken 

Steel, president of the Arizona Region. 

It was a very good year for SAR! For me it ended with triple 

bypass surgery December 17. It’s a year I won’t forget. 


Gary Ottaviano 

Gary Ottaviano graduated high school in 1966 

and joined the Air Force, where he was trained 

as an aircraft mechanic. Following Tech School 

he was stationed in the Philippines, Viet Nam, 

Thailand, and finally Davis‐Monthan in Tucson. 

Upon discharges from the military he attended 

Cuyahoga Community College, where he earned 

an Associates in Arts, Cleveland State, where he 

earned a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engi‐ 

neering. 

Gary started his engineering carrier at Rampac 

Corp. and left there as V.P. Engineering to start 

his own fishing lure company. To quote Gary on 

this particular venture, “Don’t ask.” After loos‐ 

ing large amounts of money he backed into the 

2004 Boxster S – $31,995 

• Arctic Silver Metallic Paint with Black Top 

• Graphite Grey Standard Leather Interior with Black Floor Mats 

• Bose (Digital) Sound System with Windstop Package 

• Xenon Headlamp Package 

• 18”Light Alloy Carrera Wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 225/40/ZR18 

front and 265/35/ZR18 rear 

• CD Shelf Center Console 

• Original Owner and Always Garaged 

• Took Delivery at Zuffenhausen 

• Original, Complete Set of Owner’s Manuals 


mortgage business, from which he retired in 

2005. 

Gary’s first Porsche was a 1990 Cabriolet, which 

he eventually traded for his present ride—a 

1996 911 TT. 

Gary and Patti were married in 1994. Gary has 

three children with five grandchildren; Patti has 

two children with four dogs as “grandchildren,” 

a subject she hopes will change. 

Gary joined SAR in 2005 and was the Southeast 

Liaison for 2007‐2008. Fortunately, we can look 

forward to more reporting from Gary on the 

Sierra Vista contingent! 

1982 Porsche 911 Turbo (930) “Tuner”, and then some… 

Evex body package, new “exquisite” light blue metallic paint, interior by High Speed Customs 

450 HP – 46,000 Original Miles 

After Market Modifications 

Original weight: 3300 lbs. Current weight: 2867 lbs. 

K27 Turbo Charger, with adjustable boost; replaced stock K26 Turbo; larger intercooler replaced stock; 

short shift kit; Bilstein shock absorbers; 22mm rear stabilizer; Ferrari ties and trunk cross‐strut; front 

bumper with twin headlamp system; front right/left flared fenders with integrated direction indicator 

lamps. side sills; flared wheel arches rear; right and left rear bumper; and Whale tail with spoiler rubber. 

Tires/Wheels 

Front: 225/40Z18; Rear: 26535ZR18 

Both are Pirelli P Zero Rosso on 18x10.5‐130 SSR GT3 polished lip alloy wheels with colored Porsche center caps 

Featured in Excellence, The Magazine About Porsche, September 2008, and Hemmings Sports & Exotic Cars, March 2009 

• Binder with all Original Purchase Documents, Tourist Delivery Documents 

and Maintenance Records 

• European License Plates 

• Porsche First Aid Kit 

• 47,450 Miles 

• Ordered and Purchased through Beaudry Porsche, now Porsche of Tucson 

• All Maintenance Performed by Beaudry/Porsche of Tucson 

• Pristine Condition 

Contact Scott Slatkovski (520 271‐7320 or Slatkovski@gmail.com) for more information. 

1986 944 Turbo (951) 

Guards Red with black interior, sun roof, 5 speed, a/c, power windows, recent (less than 

3K miles) mechanical restoration includes: new water pump & belts, cam & balance belt, 

complete reseal of engine, oil pan, cam & balance shaft, crank shaft, new motor mounts, 

c.v. joints, front brakes. New tires, cold a/c. $7000. 520‐623‐3230 M‐F 8‐5 

For one of a kind, this is it! One of 5 originally shipped to the U.S.; thought to be the only one left in the U.S. This car is very tractable, handling urban traffic without a 

fuss but easily pulling 1.3 bar of boost. Asking $79,500. Serious inquiries only. Contact Carl Curtis at 520‐404‐2887 or Jill Davis‐Curtis at goldtwh@cox.net for details. 

www.pcasar.com

Zuffenhausen News 

PCA - SAR 

P.O. Box 1743 

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED 

PRSRT STD 

US POSTAGE 

PAID 

TUCSON AZ 

PERMIT 

NO. 365

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