Slipstream - June 2004

Rennsport Reunion II
by Wayne Brown
On April 23-25, 2004, Brian and James Redman hosted the
second Rennsport Reunion, this one at the famous Daytona
International Speedway. With over 500 racing Porsches
present, it was stated that this was the largest gathering of historic
Porsches ever! The weekend included photo shoots, Concours,
racing, social gatherings & dinners, vendors, and lots and lots of
‘oogle’-ing. David Baker (with daughter Emily, and Tom Petrushka)
and I (with daughter Megan, and Lone Star Region friends Bryan
Gregory and Haas Fogle) made the 18 hour tow to experience a
‘weekend of a lifetime’.
... I have never seen so many people
intoxicated on Porsches ...
met Hurley Haywood, Norbert Singer, and Brian Redman;
saw Lucas Luhr, Emmerson Fittipaldi, Jerry Seinfeld, Hans Stuck,
Jacky Ickx and Joe Buzetta. Chris Economaki spoke a lot over the
P.A., also interviewed the podium finishers for each race.
To see, hear, and smell the 41 ‘plastic cars’ (that’s what they
called the group with the purpose-built, composite-bodied race
cars) on the track at speed; spitting fire, sliding/drifting, and dicing
for position was absolutely unforgettable. Watching the
owners/drivers ‘racing’ these historic masterpieces, not just driving
Of all of the superlatives I heard over the RRII weekend,
“incredible”, “wow”, “outstanding”, “sensory overload”, “unbelievable”,
and a bevy of others, I think “overwhelming” was the most
appropriate. It seemed that nearly every significant Porsche was
represented: 901, 902, 904, 906, 907, 908, 910, 911’s in every
conceivable configuration – including R, RS, RSR, RSA, IROC; 912,
914, 917, 924, 924 carrera, 928, 930, 934, 935, 936, 944, 944 turbo,
944 cup, 951, 954, 956, 962, 964, 968, ‘Cup’ cars ALL over the place,
absolute multitudes of the newer 993, 996, Boxster series. Cayenne.
GT1, GT2, GT3/R’s. Carrera GT. 356’s, 4 cams, 550 spyders, RSK 60
& 61, Elva Porsche, Gmund Porsche, Abarth Porsche, March Indy
Photo by Jay Walker
Speechless!
Photo by Wayne Brown
110 Porsches take the green flag
Porsche, LeMans Prototypes, Daytona Prototype. Porsche Police
cars and even a Porsche tractor! (nope, didn’t see a Porsche Mooney
– on the ground, anyway) Garage after garage filled with
restored/running racing history. These cars, some worth in the
millions, were left unattended – the unstated rule of ‘look but don’t
touch’ being universally observed. The P.A. system had continuous
interviews with historically significant owners / drivers. Personally
them, was simply awe inspiring. The ‘cup’ cars (62 cars) were stunning
to watch – each with bright, innovative graphics – lap times
rivaled the 962’s. The ‘less than 2.5 liter’ group was filled with
Porsche’s early racing models. Their speeds were impressive and
displayed without a doubt how these small displacement machines
became known as ‘giant killers’. Did I mention being overwhelmed?
After qualifying Saturday morning, many of these same cars
were displayed in the Concours d’Elegance. They were all so
pristine – even the ones that had been on the track that morning!
Thousands of people milling around, pouring over, and trying
not to drool on this display of over 100 of Porsche’s best
examples. David put it well, “...I have never seen so many people
intoxicated on Porsches. It was as if they had some endorphin rush
thing going on.... ...like kids in a video arcade with unlimited
tokens. Neither words nor pictures can capture the experience.”
To repeat – overwhelming.
All of this would have filled the weekend, but we also got to
drive Daytona International Speedway – it’s huge! First impression
– NARROW – three wide was nervously uncomfortable through
the Nascar turns. Second impression – ROUGH – didn’t want
to turn loose of the steering wheel, even to shift gears. Third
impression – STEEP – think the banking is even steeper than TMS;
Photo by Jay Walker
Photo provided by Wayne Brown
Photo by Jay Walker
Jerry Seinfeld & Porsche #1
Wayne & Megan Brown with Hurley Haywood
The *best* IROC cars
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