Slipstream - October 2002

My Views of Parade ‘02
by Wendy Shoffit
Two years ago when James and I were at our first Porsche Parade
in Sacramento, we heard that the 2002 Parade was going to be
in Boise.“Boise?” we said.“Why on earth would we ever want to
go to BOISE?” Well, after this summer, we are no longer asking. It is
such a delightful and quaint place to visit. The people are very friendly
and the downtown area is extremely clean. It was amazing to see the
facilities available to us. Thanks to the Parade staff who put on a wonderful
event. Everything was well organized and we all had a great time.
Generally, all Parades follow the same sort of schedule. It begins
with the welcome party, typically with German cuisine and an oompah
band. It’s pretty much the only time I ever get to eat my fill of
bratwurst, sauerkraut, and spaetzle. This year’s variety was delicious
and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, the party wouldn’t be the
same without the Maverick Region flair. As a salute to Idaho, Taxi
Breithaupt encouraged many of us to create our own versions of
. . .ice cream shaped to look
like a baked potato. . .
“potato hats.” We got a few stares and weird looks, but most people
got a kick out of them (once they realized what we were wearing). As
a special treat, the mayor of Boise came and spoke. Not only was the
mayor thrilled with our presence, but also so were many of the shop
owners and the police department. It seems as though our little
group increased their ticket revenue a bit during our stay.
After the welcome party, the teenage attendees enjoyed their
own private dessert party. Until this year, there were no organized
events for them to get to know each other. About 20 teens came
together and had a ball, proving the get together should be duplicated
next year.
The second “official” day of Parade is always the concours d’
elegance. This year it was held at the beautiful veteran’s hospital.
There was, as always, a stunning array of Porsche excellence. In addition
to all the “normal” cars, one of the cars on display was a 1952
356 America Roadster. Only 16 of these cars were produced (11
remain) and it will probably be the only time that I will ever get to
see one. It was quite a sight. Unfortunately, not a single Maverick
member entered his or her car in the concours, but c’est la vie…we
still enjoyed the show!
The concours award banquet is the most formal one of the
week. I guess if you spend weeks (or more) cleaning up your car, you
want to spend at least a little extra time cleaning yourself up! The
food, once again, was fabulous. Not only are the concours awards
presented that evening, but also all of the national awards, including
Region of the Year, Enthusiast of the Year, Newsletter, etc. This was
the first year in awhile that Maverick Region hasn’t won a major
award. Just wait until next year, though…
The day following the concours is usually the rally. James and I
have never entered a Parade rally and this year was no different. The
combination of 4+ hours riding in uncomfortable racing seats with
hot weather, no air conditioning, and devious rally masters has just
not appealed to us…yet. Plenty of Mavericks entered, however, and
did well in the placings. Out of 141 cars (that finished), our very own
Bob and Linda Knight won 4th place! Not only that, Don and Taxi
Breithaupt trophied at 23rd. First time Parade attendees and new
rallyists, Bill and Nancy Dugan, probably ended up with the best
souvenir, though. While navigator Bill was trying to figure out the
right way to “Frozen Dog,” driver Nancy took a break…right into a
woodcarver’s shop. She returned a few minutes later with her very
own birdhouse. While the carefree Dugans placed out of trophy
range, they accomplished their three tasks: to finish, to not finish last,
and to stay married! Good job!
While the rally was going on, many of the kids were at the
historic Boise Train Depot practicing for the RC autocross. As if that
weren’t enough of a draw, the depot was the site chosen for the ice
cream social. Participants had their choice of a make-your-own
sundae or the local special – ice cream shaped to look like a baked
potato (but it sure didn’t taste like one). Maverick Alex Philipp did
extremely well in the RC competition, as did Eric Erz. Eric surely
would have taken top time (instead of 2nd), but just before his runs,
one of his wiring contacts broke and a soldering iron was nowhere
to be found. Eric vows to return next year to re-claim his throne.
The banquet for this year’s rally wasn’t held on the evening of
the event. They waited until the following day for their presentations
(making sure all the scores were right). The menu was a “Taste of
Idaho,” featuring some of the area’s culinary specialties. Although I
was a bit nervous about the food, we all ended up pleased.
Rally Awards
Name Place Class
Bob and Linda Knight 4th Unequipped
Don and Taxi Breithaupt 23rd Unequipped
The following 2 days was the autocross. Many Mavericks entered
this event and did quite well. The site was the Police Training grounds,
about 11 miles from downtown Boise. Spectator parking was
horrible, but the course was lots of fun. Rather than there being only
cones marking the course, we used parts of the police “city streets”
training. This included several 90-degree turns and a slightly banked
sweeper. The most challenging part of the course to do right was the
finish. You see, the finishing timing reflector light was * exactly * on
the right exit line. As you can imagine, it got hit a few times. Once by
our very own timing and scoring chairman (and my husband), James
Shoffit, now nicknamed “Mr. Excitement.” If that wasn’t exciting
enough, the organizers arranged for an Idaho State Police car and
motorcycle to be onsite. The kids and adults alike enjoyed watching
the police cruiser (with siren and lights going) tackle the autocross
course. I’m not sure how the officer explained to his supervisor how
the word “Goodyear” got scrubbed off the side of his tires.
When the kids weren’t watching the adult autocross action, they
were participating in their own. They rode bicycles, scooters,
rollerblades, skateboards, strollers, or just used foot power through a
simple, but extremely tight, course. Two Maverick kids participated,
Alex Philipp and my daughter, Jasmine. Even though her suspension
was not set up right, Jasmine pedaled her heart out. During one of
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