Autocross Corner (Cont. from pg. 11) Christine Newcomer only trails Adam Nguyen for the championship by eight points, so expect <strong>this</strong> one to go down to the wire. Brian Vaniman <strong>and</strong> Hideki Nakano may also step up <strong>and</strong> are still in the running. <strong>In</strong> class O/S Ed McRae of Walter’s Porsche appears to have clinched the championship with a string of seven 1st place finishes. Kathrine Weir will win her class with six 1st <strong>and</strong> one 2nd place finish. <strong>In</strong> Class PS Jonathan Levey competes in his 993 Turbo <strong>and</strong> is a close second behind Jonthan Gerber driving his 996 Turbo. After being out of the country most of last year, Mark Trawartha of Autobaun Adventures fame is back to his winning ways in his stock 996 GT3 <strong>and</strong> has a strong lead over Brian Fawks in class QS/S And in the “Run what you brung” class, Steve Abbott driving his Corvette leads the class over Attila Szilagyi in a BMW, Rad Delgado in a Ferrari <strong>and</strong> Ken Mtonishi in a (a Honda Civic?) <strong>and</strong> Gary Thomason driving his GT3. Gary or Ken could prove to be the class spoilers if they attend the remaining events. I want to also thank our two Series Support Sponsors: Stuttgart Performance <strong>and</strong> GMG. Geoff at Stuttgart Performance <strong>and</strong> James <strong>and</strong> Fabryce at GMG are die-hard Porsche enthusiasts <strong>and</strong> offer some of the best products on the market for your Porsche <strong>and</strong> other performance automobiles. They also have full service facilities available. Both companies have supported our club for many years <strong>and</strong> deserve your business. See their color ads in <strong>this</strong> magazine <strong>and</strong> check out their websites for quality products <strong>and</strong> service for your cars. You will not be disappointed! Laguna Seca - A Lifelong Dream During the late 1960s, I began attending races at Laguna Seca Raceway. I watched Shelby 289 Cobras trade position with the Porsche factory 904s who were vying for the Manufactures Championship. Then for several years the Trans-Am series was my favorite. Small block V-8s twisted to 8,000+ rpm. <strong>In</strong> later years I watched George Follmer <strong>and</strong> Mark Donahue drive Roger Penske’s factory backed Panzer 917s to victory over Bruce McLaren’s thundering aluminum-block Chevy powered Can-Am cars, that had dominated the series for several years. The sound of all these cars down shifting <strong>and</strong> braking hard side by side as they prepared to accelerate up the Laguna Seca front straight made the hair on my arm st<strong>and</strong> straight up! The corkscrew was always another great spot to watch the race. As the cars crested the hill <strong>and</strong> jogged to the left, the track seemed to drop straight down as they all hammered the throttle! (Because it does) Boy, What would that be like? Wheel to wheel, nose to tail, flat out around Laguna Seca. Well let me tell you it is great! Each year, the weekend after the Monterey Historic Races, the Porsche Owners Club holds three days of racing on the Laguna Seca track. I completed the POC’s Cup Race Drivers Clinic earlier <strong>this</strong> year <strong>and</strong> so if I was ever going to race wheel to wheel at my favorite track, <strong>this</strong> was my chance. GMG had prepared my car along with a couple others for the event. Guy Dryer (GT3 Cup Car), Gary Tolar (Koni Challenge Car) <strong>and</strong> I (996 GT2) were all in the “Red Group.” This group can be a little intimidating, as it is the fastest cars that race in POC <strong>and</strong> the drivers are all very skilled. However, POC has a reputation for being a very safe <strong>and</strong> “sane” group. My son Michael agreed to work as my pit crew. He would spend most of the weekend changing tires, checking tire temps, adjusting shocks <strong>and</strong> making sure I was all strapped in <strong>and</strong> my HANS device <strong>and</strong> helmet were secure. Friday was practice <strong>and</strong> the car was a little “twitchy.” It was somewhat expected, as the car had new shocks, suspension setup <strong>and</strong> a new “go fast” differential. We realigned the car <strong>and</strong> thought we had the problem cured late that night, but in Saturday morning practice we were still scratching our heads. With the help of the GMG Team, the problem was resolved <strong>and</strong> by Saturday afternoon qualifying we were ready to go. My goal for the first race was to stay out of trouble <strong>and</strong> just finish. We once the green flag fell it seemed silly to just finish. We had qualified 18th out of 23 cars. By the end of the 12-lap race, we had worked our way up to 11th. Sunday morning we were at the track early. Everything felt right. The morning practice felt very good as Michael had changed the tire pressures <strong>and</strong> made a couple shock adjustments. I was getting comfortable with the new-found h<strong>and</strong>ling of the GT2. Prior to qualifying, Michael made one more shock adjustment. I could tell by the first two turns he had them spot on! We were three seconds faster <strong>and</strong> able to qualify 9th for Sunday’s race. As we formed up for the start I had four of the fastest Porsches directly ahead of me. I took a deep breath <strong>and</strong> then it hit me. Here I was on the warmup lap with 23 other Porsches at Laguna Seca Raceway! As we rounded the last turn to take the green flag, the hair on my arms stood straight up AGAIN! I could see my son Michael out of the corner of my eye jumping up <strong>and</strong> down cheering. This was it! A lifelong dream <strong>and</strong> best of all it was shared with my son! Till next month. Have Fun! 16
Autocross photos from James Buck, JP Lewis, Ron Ketelhut <strong>and</strong> Kevin Van Fleet OCTOBER <strong>2009</strong> 17
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